The Little Merman
by Reader4ever1
Summary: Percy's fate seemed sealed from the moment he was born. But his love of human things helped him forge his own path. And he's not the only one to fall for someone from another world. With his friends by his side, he must earn Princess Annabeth's love- all in a heart-pounding race against time. The Heroes of Olympus- as you've never seen them before. (Post Hidden Oracle)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Just a few notes before we get to the story- I believe in the theory that Calypso's last name is Nightshade, like her sister, Zoë. (Which makes perfect sense to me.) So her last name is going to be Nightshade in the story. Deal with it. And if you don't like it, just ignore it.**

 **Another thing. I don't really include the parents in this, but they** _ **might**_ **be mentioned if not directly shown. I'll try to keep the characters' stories as close as possible to the original concepts.**

 **All couples created in here are cannon in the actual series, so no excuses for complaints on the subject.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Rick Riordan material or Disney's The Little Mermaid. Now on with the story.**

* * *

Chapter 1

There were clouds in the sky. The sea was smooth. A thin fog shrouded the air in moisture. A giant ship sailed through the water, it's crew hard at work hauling up a net full of fish. Dolphins swam in the water alongside the vessel.

"Ah! Isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face." Princess Annabeth jumped down from the bench, her grey skirt billowing in the wind. "A perfect day to be at sea."

Despite being royalty, Princess Annabeth loved working alongside her staff. Whenever she got the chance, she would pull back her curly blonde hair and set to work on projects. The very ship she was on had been built by her and the royal mechanic, Leo, who was one of her trusted friends.

She and her other trusted friends were helping the fishermen haul in the day's catch. Festus the mechanical dog (also built by Leo) ran around deck, licking the salty air.

"Yes." A girl with chocolate colored skin looked up from the side of the ship. "Really," she gulped, "Delightful." She pulled her curly hair back and leaned over the side again, hurling. Hazel had never really been fond of sailing.

A girl with choppy brown hair walked up to her and patted her on the back.

"A fine strong wind and a following sea! King Poseidon must be in a friendly type mood," one of the fisherman said.

"King Poseidon?" Annabeth asked.

"Ruler of the merpeople- thought you would know about him." The girl comforting Hazel looked up at the princess, a confused look on her face. Piper was Annabeth's first lady in waiting, and knowing so much about her, this was surprising.

Hazel looked back up. "Merpeople. Of course she wouldn't. It's just nonsense."

The fisherman picked up a salmon. "Oh, it's no nonsense, missy, it's the truth!" He struggled to keep hold of the fish, which flopped around in his hands. "I'm telling you, down in the depths of the ocean, they live alone!" The fish slipped from his fingers, flying overboard, down into the blue sea. The salt water engulfed it's scaly body.

The fish, still being alive, sighed, looking at the massive boat above. It turned around and swam down.

It weaved through a patch of seaweed and trailed past some colorful plants, the movement causing them to shrink back and hide away. The salmon swam with a group of angelfish, passed underneath a colony of free-floating jellyfish, and moved through crevices in the coral reefs. He approached a humpback whale with her two calves. His image reflected in her giant eye.

He swam off.

Mere seconds later, dark shapes came out of the depths. And, as they came into the light, they couldn't be mistaken.

From the waist up they looked like normal humans, with arms and round heads with hair. But from the waist down they had the tails of fish.

Merpeople, dozens of them, came up into the sunlit waters. They propelled themselves in one direction, swimming gracefully under and around the submerged rock formations, toward a place past the coral reefs. Once above a drop in the rocky sand, their destination could be seen.

Sitting at the bottom of the ocean was a giant castle, lit up with what looked like a thousand stars. The merpeople called it Atlantica.

They swam inside it, assembling into a room built like an amphitheater. At the bottom was a wide flat area, like a stage, and an unlit chandelier hung in the middle of the domed ceiling.

Once everyone had settled, conch horns sounded, and swordfish swam into the room, forming a line. A mermaid- who looked to be in her later twenties/early thirties- brought up the end of the line. A sash was displayed across her chest, showing that she was part of the royal staff. She gave a small cough. "His royal highness, King Poseidon!" she announced.

The crowd cheered as a carriage pulled by dolphins entered the room. The merman at the reins had dark graying hair that floated to his shoulders, and a beard that went down to his chest. He was holding a golden trident that glowed with power. As he passed the center of the room, he held it up and zapped the chandelier above, making it burst with light. The applause grew louder.

The mermaid spoke again, her white tail swishing. "And presenting the distinguished royal trainer, the radical, ingenious, crustaceous, Chiron!"

A smaller horn (that sort of sounded like a kazoo) was blown and Chiron the Crab entered the room. Chiron was larger and wiser than most crustaceans, giving off a sense of knowing to the other creatures. He too was in a carriage, but it looked quite small next to the King's. It was pulled by two goldfish, who bucked at the crab's reins. He steadied them and pulled up closer to the King.

"I'm really looking forward to this session, Chiron," King Poseidon said.

"Your majesty, this will be the the finest training session I have ever done. My pupils are sure to be spectacular-ARGH!" The goldfish jerked forward, making the carriage flip upside down. King Poseidon gave a small laugh.

"Yes, and especially, my son, Percy."

"Yes," Chiron said as he settled back down in his seat, "yes, he is, truly, the most powerful of them all."

King Poseidon smiled and directed the dolphins toward his balcony seat.

Chiron sighed and said quietly so that the King couldn't hear him, "If only he'd show up for a lesson, once in awhile."

His goldfish swam down to the center of the room, where he climbed out and grabbed a stick out of the carriage. Chiron used the staff while training his pupils, in order to help him direct their focus. He held it up for quiet, and the audience grew silent.

"Merpeople of Atlantica," he started. "I welcome you here today, to witness the strength and talent of Atlantica's youngest warriors in training." He flicked his staff at a group of sea creatures off to the side with instruments. They started a low drum beat.

"Let them prove their power to you." He turned away from the crowd and flicked his staff again. Light appeared in the last darkened area of the room.

It revealed five giant clamshells placed flat in a semi-circle, a sixth slightly higher in the middle.

"Mermaids and Mermen!" Chiron projected his voice. "I present to you Atlantica's youngest warriors in training." He pointed his staff to the shell furthest to the left and the music grew louder. The shell flew open and out swam a merman with raven black hair and an equally black tail. His skin was pale, and he brandished a Stygian black sword.

"Nico di Angelo," Chiron announced.

He pointed to the next shell and a mermaid with caramel colored hair and a red tail came out. The seashells she wore were the same scarlet as her fins. Her skin was milky white. A gold dagger was sheathed in a leather strap wrapped around her waist.

"Calypso Nightshade," Chiron said.

He then pointed his staff to the third shell in the middle. It too opened and another merman emerged. His black hair was cut short, military style, and his tail was a deep purple. Like the others, he held his weapon of choice, a bow and arrow. He notched an arrow in place, his muscles tense, prepared for anything.

"Frank Zhang."

Chiron pointed to the fourth shell and out of it came a second mermaid. Her hair was short and spiky, her tail and seashells a bright blue. She held a staff in her hand, and unlike Chiron's, it had a sharp point at the end. It seemed to spark with electricity.

"Thalia Grace."

Chiron pointed to the shell on the right end, and it revealed a blonde merman with close cropped hair. His tail was a bright blue, like Thalia's, and he had a small scar above his lip. He brandished a gold sword, and his eyes scanned the room.

"Jason Grace." Jason and Thalia didn't look much like brother and sister to most merfolk, but they had the same electric blue eyes. The crowd applauded the five teenagers, whose bronze armor glinted in the light.

"And now," Chiron's voice boomed across the room, quieting the audience again. "Let me introduce you all to a very special merman." He pointed to the sixth shell that rose above the others. The music reached it's climax. "Prince Perseus Jackson!" he announced as the shell opened up. But there was one thing...

It was empty.

Chiron and the teenagers gasped, and the crowd quickly followed suit.

"Oh boy," Jason said.

Nico face palmed himself.

"Not again," Frank sighed.

Chiron turned and looked up at the balcony where King Poseidon was watching with his other son, Tyson. A mixture of terrifying horror and anger was strewn across his face. His trident glowed with fury.

"PERCY!" he bellowed.

* * *

 **And there you have it. The first chapter in this epic crossover. It took me a while to decide on who would be mermaids or humans, and if Frank was going to have his staff or bow and arrows… And the tail colors, now** _ **that**_ **was a process. Especially for Frank and Calypso.**

 **If I made any grammar errors that I missed in the editing process, please tell me so that I can correct them. And I would love your guys' opinions on the story so far, but please try not to yell at me. Subtle hints and suggestions will be accepted, but that doesn't mean that I will use the advice. I'm trying to find my own writing style, and if it interferes with that, then I probably won't use them. And, again, I'm open to all opinions and ideas.**

 **Thank you very much, and spread the word about the story. I'm counting on you guys!**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the second chapter. I'll try not to make it too long.**

 **Disclaimer: Man, I don't want to do this through the whole story. (Clears throat) I do not own Rick Riordan stuff or The Little Mermaid.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Hazel slammed open the door, causing the two boys in the room to jump.

The fishermen had returned to the docks, and the Princess and her escorts were back at the castle. Hazel had entered one of the many waiting rooms, where the royal mechanic and advisor were waiting for their return.

The girl plopped down on one of the couches. "I _hate_ boat rides. I hate seasickness. And I hate the sea."

One of the boys walked over to her. His shaggy blonde hair was neatly brushed out. He looked at Hazel with bright blue eyes. "You know you shouldn't go on those trips, Hazel. If you get too sick and I'm not there to help you-"

"Will, I can manage seasickness." She rubbed her temples. "It just gets… annoying."

The other boy in the room laughed. He was laying down on the other couch, tinkering around with a metal sphere. His curly black hair looked singed in places from fire. "Annoying is a very simple way of putting it."

"Says the guy who gets sick during carriage rides."

He sat up to say something, but was cut off by the bark of a dog. Festus ran into the room. "Festus!" the mechanic exclaimed. The dog jumped into his arms, the force throwing him to the floor. "Aww. Hey, buddy? How did the trip go? Did you chase those silly seagulls around crazy?" The mechanical dog barked in response.

Princess Annabeth entered the room with two other girls.

One of them was Piper. She glanced over at the boy and his dog and rolled her eyes. She wore a smile that said, _You're such a dork._

Leo looked up at the Princess, a grin stretched across his face. "Thanks for watching Festus, Annabeth. He hates being cooped up in the workshop for long periods of time."

"No problem, Leo. Festus is an excellent dog. He always brings more life into our trips." She smiled at the bronze animal. Sometimes the palace got a little dark. Even on trips, Annabeth could feel the royal duties pressing down on her. But Festus was one of few things that made all of the stress go away. The second was her group of friends. The third was her love of helping people and designing things for her kingdom.

The other girl with Annabeth wore a purple tunic. Her black hair was pulled back in a long braid. She carried a sword at her side.

Will looked over at her. "I didn't know you went with them, Reyna."

"As the Princess' personal bodyguard, it is my job to be with her on assignments. Why didn't you go with us, Will? The royal medic would seem necessary to bring for any outing."

"Well, I'm also the royal planner, and a lot of things need to get done before Annabeth's birthday celebration tonight. Like… scheduling meetings with princes to find a good suitor for Annabeth." The room grew eerily quiet, as if a switch had been flipped from casual conversation to nervous silence.

Annabeth stiffened. "Will, we don't need to do that."

Will sighed. "Annabeth, I know you're perfectly capable of running the kingdom alone for the time being, but rules are rules. And if we don't follow them, people might start-"

"I don't care what people say," she said fiercely. "And I'm only turning seventeen. You can take your time. Our kingdom comes first, not formalities." She smoothed out her skirt, which was speckled with different fluids from fish and the ocean. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go clean up before lunch." She walked out of the room.

Will looked at the others. "I should go and prepare that lunch. And… try not to say formalities around her anymore unless necessary. As much as she hates marriage talk, I hate it even more."

* * *

The bottom of the ocean was dark. But that didn't stop a young merman from swimming through it.

He jetted through the water, zig-zagging past rocks and debris, his black hair plastered against his forehead. He came to a stop at a tall piece of wood- part of a ship's broken mast. He had an orange bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Percy, wait for me!" a voice called in the distance.

The merman rolled his eyes. He turned back toward the direction of the voice. "Grover, hurry up!" He waved an arm, nagging the other on.

A brown fish swam into view, breathing heavily. His lighter colored stripes glistened in what little light penetrated the depths. "You know I can't swim that fast," the fish said to him. He stopped next to Percy at the mast.

Percy pointed ahead of them, his tail swishing in the water. Most merpeople would debate on it's color- some thought it was green, other's blue. Physically, it was more of a combination of the two- a sort of aqua, emerald color. But Percy always liked to think of it as blue, like his father's. His favorite color. "There it is," he breathed. Through the dark water rose a giant sunken ship, it's wooden boards and canvas sails torn up into pieces. "Isn't it fantastic?"

"Sure, i-i-it's great. Now let's get out of here." Grover started to swim away, but Percy grabbed him by the tail.

He scoffed. "You're not getting cold fins now, are you?" He let the fish go and started swimming down toward the ship, leaving bubbles in his wake.

"Who me?" Grover questioned nervously. He followed Percy downward. "No way. It's just, ah, it looks damp in there. Yeah. And I think I'm coming down with something." Percy reached one of the port holes on the side of the ship. He peered inside. "Yeah, I've got this cough." Grover made a fist with his fin and gave an exaggerated cough.

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. Then an idea formed in his head. "Alright. I'm going inside. You can just stay here, and… watch for sharks." He smiled and swam through the window.

Grover nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah, you go. I'll stay-" Realization washed over his face. "What? Sharks?! Percy!" He shoved himself through the little opening, getting stuck in the process. He squirmed around. "Percy- uff- I can't- ugh- I mean… Percy help!" His voice echoed through the water.

Percy looked back at his friend and started laughing. He swam over to him, shaking his head. "Oh, Grover."

"Percy," The Prince grabbed Grover's front fins and tried yanking him forward. "Do you really think there could be sharks around here?"

"Grover, don't be such a guppy."

"I'm not a guppy." Grover sucked in his stomach and Percy pulled him into the ship. The merman nodded his head in satisfaction and swam down the corridor.

Grover gave in, following him. He tentatively scanned their surroundings. "This is great. Yeah, I really, uh, love this. Excitement, adventure… danger lurking around every corn-AAH!" Grover suddenly found a ghostly figure staring back at him. The skeletal remains of a human were so close that he practically touched them.

He quickly backed away, hitting an old decaying support beam that promptly collapsed, causing part of the ceiling to cave in. He dove out of the way. "Percy!" He slammed into the merman's arms. Bubbles flurried around them.

The force pushed Percy to the floor. "Aw. Are you okay?" he asked the fish.

Grover's whole body shook with fear. "Yeah. Sure. No problem, I'm okay."

Percy suddenly shushed him, placing a finger at his lips. He pointed upward and swam out of the hallway through the newly made hole. Poking his head over the broken floorboards, he scanned the new room with his green eyes. They fixed on something shining through the darkness. "Oh my gods. Oh my gods!"

He swam over and picked the object up. It was thin, made of some sort of metal, and had three points at one end. Almost like a mini version of his father's trident. "Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your entire life?" he asked Grover in an excited voice.

"Wow, cool!" The fish exclaimed. Percy shifted the object around in his fingers. Grover eyeballed it. "But, um… what is it?"

"I don't know. But I bet Rachel will!" A dark shadow passed over a large window in the room. Percy didn't seem to notice. He shoved the silver object into his bag and continued searching for other things.

"What was that?" Grover asked, panic in his voice again. He went over to the glass and looked out into the gloomy ocean. "Did you hear something?"

"Hmm…" Percy picked up another object. It was curved and had a deep brown color. A tunnel seemed to go through to both ends. "I wonder what this one is?"

"Percy," Grover called out. He looked at his friend, desperation playing across his features. A giant figure rose up in the window behind him. Two giant glowing eyes were fixed on the little brown fish.

"Grover, will you relax? Nothing is going to happen."

Grover slowly turned around. Horror gripped his body as the shadowed creature opened a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It bashed through the window, glass flying through the water. "Shark! Shark!" Grover screamed.

Percy looked up as the monstrous creature forced its way into the room. It snapped it's jaws and smashed its surroundings. "We're gonna die!" Grover shouted over the noise. The Sea Prince grabbed his friend and circled around the room as the shark pursued them. He took the nearest exit, swimming as fast as he could.

They rounded a corner in the ship. Percy started thinking that the shark had given up when it lunged out of the floorboards below them. Grover gave another scream as they quickly turned around. The shark continued to follow them, chomping on the wood like it was candy.

Halfway down the corridor, Percy's satchel snagged on a floorboard. He rushed back to get it, his heart beating fast, the shark inching closer by the second. He snatched it up and swam through another hole in the ceiling, Grover right behind him. The shark changed course and wormed its way after them.

They charged through the water. Grover spotted the porthole coming up in front of them. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. He got jammed in it before he could even start to slow down. He squirmed once again, trying desperately to get out of the ship. But Percy was next to him this time. He shoved Grover through and swam out after him.

The shark rammed through the side of the ship with a tremendous roar. (Or, whatever sound sharks made. They couldn't really tell. They were too busy swimming for their lives.)

Grover let out another scream. It continued to chase them, as if it was a do-or-die game of cat and mouse. The boys swam around and around the ship's mast, panting, hoping to shake the creature off their tails.

Percy raced over the top beam, but Grover, not prepared to dodge the piece of wood, collided with it head on. He went cross-eyed and spiraled toward the bottom of the sea, the shark taking out the mast where he had been only moments ago. It switched directions and went after Grover.

Percy looked back and dropped his bag in shock. He dove down for Grover in a frenzy.

Just as the fish was about to hit the rocks below, Percy reached through a hole atop a giant anchor, catching him in his hands. He looked up and saw the shark coming towards them. He quickly pulled back and got out of the way.

The shark's momentum continued to push it through the water. It's head was forced through the metal ring and it bounced against the rocks, the anchor swaying back and forth like a broken accordion. It glowered up at the pair.

Percy released Grover with a smile. He picked up his bag and started for the surface. _Wait till I tell the others about this_ , he thought. But first he had to talk to Rachel. He needed to know information about the stuff he'd found.

Grover cautiously approached the shark. "You big bully," he scolded. He stuck out his tongue at the monster, who made a noise in the back of it's throat, snapping its jaws out one last time. Grover gave a yelp and swam after his friend.

Percy laughed. "Grover, you really are a guppy."

"I am not!" Grover protested.

* * *

 **Another chapter done! That took me longer than expected, and it was only about three minutes worth of the movie. Hahaha…. (cries silently.) But this is really fun.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the story! Let me know if I missed any grammar errors in the editing process. Comment, follow, favorite, whatever.**

 **I will see you next time.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	3. Chapter 3

**And I'm back! Alright, let's get to this next chapter. There will be more dialogue in it, if it makes any of you feel better.**

 **Disclaimer: No. No, no, no. I did this! I already did this! You know what? I'll be one of those writers who just does the disclaimer at the beginning of the story. This is the last time I'm doing it. Do you honestly think I can come up with Percy Jackson and The Little Mermaid by myself? Well, I can't. Sorry to disappoint.**

 **I do not own PJO or TLM. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan and Disney.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 3

The ocean was still. The sun was high in the bright blue sky. Not a single cloud could be seen for miles.

The only thing worth looking at was the rock that jutted out of the water and the seagull that was sitting on it.

The bird hummed to herself as she sat atop a ship's mast that leaned against the giant mineral. She pulled a spyglass out from behind her and looked around. Finding nothing interesting, she put the cool glass end against her head, pressing it close and pulling it open, over and over again.

"Rachel!" a voice called out.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare almost dropped the black object in surprise. She quickly raised one end to her right eye.

Unaware that the spyglass was turned backwards, Rachel searched around for the source of the noise. Her vision landed on a young merman that seemed very, very far away. "Woah!" she exclaimed. "Merman off the port bow! Percy, how ya doin', kid-?" She lowered the spyglass and came face to face with the sea prince himself. "Wow, what a swim," she said, surprised.

"Rachel, look what we found." Percy reached behind him and pulled out his orange bag.

"Yeah," Grover said from beside him. "We were in this sunken ship, and it was really creepy-"

"Human stuff, huh?" Rachel asked. "Hey, let me see." She grabbed an anchor from behind her and dropped it on the ground. Her foot caught in the rope, causing her to fall down to the floor.

She landed with a smack, shaking her head to get rid of the sudden dizziness. Rachel ran over to the bag, stepping over Grover in the process.

He shot her a look. "You know, there was an easier way to do that."

Rachel's face turned sheepish. "He-he… Sorry." She started glowing. Her figure grew taller, her wings extended, her beak shrank into her face. Her white feathers turned into a long white dress.

The glowing died down, and before the two boys stood a young red-headed woman. "I keep forgetting I can do that," Rachel said.

"I wish I had a human form," Percy sighed, his mouth turning into a pout.

He sometimes hated loving humans. Knowing that he could never be one of them broke his heart, and it didn't help that his friend could transform (at will, mind you) into a near perfect replica of a normal person.

Rachel waved her hand aside. "It's no big deal, Perce. I mean- okay, I can turn into a mostly-human-figure. So what? Really, you're perfectly fine as a mermaid."

"Merman."

"Potato, potato." She sat crisscrossed on the rock and snatched up the bag. She rummaged around in it and pulled out the pointed silver object. "Look at this! Wow, this is special, this is-"

"What?" Excitement flooded back into Percy, pushing all his dilemmas to the back of his mind. "What is it?"

"It's a dinglehopper," Rachel said. She bent it between her thumb and index finger. "Humans use these little babies-" It sprang up into the air. She quickly gabbed it again, "-to straighten their hair out."

Rachel held the object to her curly red hair and twisted it around a few locks. "See? Just a little twirl here and I yank down and _voila!_ " She jerked the dinglehopper out of her hair, causing it to snap back in a _poof._ Her hair now stuck out on the side of her head in a giant frizzy mess.

"Yeah, and now you have an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over." She fluffed her hair up with a hand and gave the dinglehopper back to Percy.

He laughed and took it from her. He held it up to the sky, the sun causing a bright glare to shine off the metal. "A dinglehopper," he breathed.

"What about that one?" Grover asked, pointing toward the curved brown object in Percy's bag.

"Ah, this!" Rachel snatched it, hopping up, her green eyes growing wide with enthusiasm. "I haven't seen in years… This is wonderful!" She stepped closer to the duo. "A banded, bulbous, Snarfblat." She held it out to them, as if presenting something they'd never seen before.

"Whoa," Percy and Grover said in unison.

"Now the Sanrfblat dates back to prehistorical times," Rachel began lecturing. She kneeled down at the edge of the rock and dipped the Snarfblat in the ocean, tipping it over, some of its contents spilling out into the water. "Where humans use to sit around, and stare at each other all day." She pressed her forehead against Percy's, emphasizing her point. He could only stare back at her in response, silence filling the air around them. "Got very boring," Rachel said, backing away.

"So, they invented this Snarfblat to make fine music," she concluded with a smile. "Allow me," she said to them.

Rachel placed the small end of it to her lips and gave a harsh blow. The other end bubbled and fizzed, pieces of seaweed flying out of it. The clog caused Rachel's cheeks to turn red, and she quickly withdrew, coughing.

"Music?" Percy repeated aloud. "Oh, it's fine, Rachel. I've heard enough music lately. They keep playing this one beat when we do our practice in the…" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Amphitheater…"

Rachel continued to cough. "Blah, it's stuck, blah, blah…" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Oh." Percy's face filled with sudden realization. His stomach fell back to the bottom of the ocean. "Oh, the training session! Oh my gods, my father's gonna kill me!" He snatched up the dinglehopper and threw it into his bag. Rachel leaned back in surprise.

"The session was today?" Grover asked, eyes growing wide.

"Hmm…" Rachel eyeballed the Snarfblat. "Maybe I can make a little planter out of it or something-"

Percy grabbed it out of her hands. "I-I'm sorry. I gotta go." He and Grover started moving away from the rock. He looked back and waved an arm at the seagull. "Thank you, Rachel!"

"Anytime, Percy!" she shouted to him as he dove into the water. Rachel stood up and waved back at the spot where the Sea Prince had submerged, her dress rippling in the soft breeze. "Anytime."

* * *

Percy and Grover zipped through the water, following the rocky path back to Atlantica.

"He's gonna kill me. Oh my gods, how could I be so reckless!" Percy grabbed tufts of his hair and started yanking on them. "And Thalia even reminded me to… Jason was there with her… I'm going to die. A sudden, young, very necessary death."

"Perce, cool it. You can't go in there rambling. You know that both your dad _and_ Chiron are going to have a swing at you, so you may as well-"

"Ah!" Percy groaned. "I forgot about Chiron!"

"How could you forget about-"

"Bury me with dignity, Grover. At least I died doing what I love."

"I really don't think that they'll kill you, but believe whatever you want. Just know that whatever they say, they can say it to the both of us."

They carried on, the palace lights in the distance growing brighter and brighter as they got closer, ignoring their surroundings as they rushed to the underwater castle.

Oblivious to their young and panicked minds, a giant creature lurked in the shadows, watching their every move with its glowing yellow eyes. Its body stretched several feet long, sharp teeth protruding from its powerful jaws. The eel gave a hiss and followed the pair, it's slick, dark green body snaking around every rock and coral that it passed.

The eyes never left them. Miles away, deep in a skeletal cave of a home, every action the pair made was displayed in a bubble hovering above a cauldron. Structures carved from purple rocks littered the room like furniture. A female voice penetrated the quiet cave.

"Yes… hurry home, Perseus. We wouldn't want to miss old Daddy's little showcase, now, would we? Ha! Showcase indeed.. oh, barf." A hand came out of the dark and swatted the water.

"In my day," the hand- translucent, purple tinted skin stretched over thick meat and bones- reached toward an giant open clam. Four tiny crawfish cowered inside, huddling together as the woman's fingers tried to snatch one of them up. She succeeded, the tiny red creature trembling in her grasp. "We had fantastical feasts… when I lived in the palace." She popped it into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"And now look at me." She leaned out of her shadowed seat, the subtle light in the room illuminating her features. Her arms were thick with muscles. Silky, gray hair floated around her face. Her figure was enormous, in the sense that she stood seven feet tall, and her bust large. Black material covered her body like a dress, falling all the way down and covering the top of eight long tentacles. "Wasted away to practically nothing. Banished and exiled and practically starving." She clutched her hands to her chest in annoyance. She dragged herself up and floated down to the floor. "While he and his flimsy fish folks celebrate."

Gaea the Sea Witch, otherwise called the Earth Mother due to her expertise in handling and harvesting minerals and specimens, had a long and twisted past with the royal family. Eventually banished and outcasted, she found refuge in a cave and practiced her witchcraft alone. Bitterness slowly grew inside of her with each passing year. Every chance she got, she would trick the innocent who sought help, turning them into hideous creatures.

Revenge was all she thought about nowadays, and it seemed to her that an opportunity to act had just revealed itself. "Well, I'll give them something to celebrate soon enough." Gaea snapped a look over her shoulder at the bubble, her green eyes piercing. "Kronos! Listen up!" she yelled.

The green eel, which had been hiding under a ledge to observe the Prince, hit his head on the rock. He rubbed his forehead with his tail and glowered at the water.

"I want you to keep an extra close watch on that eldest son of his." This gave the eel a reason to grin. He nodded and focused back on the speck in the distance.

Gaea linked her fingers together and smiled slyly to herself. "He may be the key to Poseidon's undoing."

* * *

 **The. End.**

 **Yay! All done. Let me know what you guys think about the turn that this is taking. Again, I'm not too far ahead in the movie, but I'm getting there.**

 **One thing I would like to say… that is, if you guys even read these little notes- it's about Magnus Chase, Rick's Norse mythology series. And kinda spoiler alert for Hammer of Thor. But people on the internet (mainly on fanfiction and tumbler) have been calling MagnusxAlex fierrochase. I personally do not like that ship name. So, if you guys want to join me, I am going to call their ship Malex. (If you still ship them but still want to call them fierrochase, that is also totally fine with me- I'm just making suggestions.)**

 **I got the idea from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments (or Shadowhunters) series, where there's a MagnusxAlec ship, which is Malec. So if Magnus and** _ **Alec**_ **can be Malec, then with Magnus and** _ **Alex**_ **it should be Malex. Unless there's another ship with the same name that I don't know about, I'm going to use Malex. So there.**

 **Thanks for reading! I'll be back soon.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, let's dive right into this, haha. Fairly good sized chapter. Lots and lots of fun ahead!**

 **IMPORTANT! Also, hope you guys will respect me for this- I'm keeping Annabeth older than Percy. Trying to stay true to the books. And thank you to those who are actually reading these notes.**

 **Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Chapter 4

Reyna threw another duffle bag on deck. "Alright! That's the last of them!" she called down.

Will looked at his checklist. "Good, good… right on time."

A short man with a scruffy goatee squinted at the ship. He crossed his arms, his tunic dirty and torn in several places. "Somethin' isn't right about this…."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You sure, Coach?"

The man frowned. "Well, I'm no genius or anything, but you cupcakes watch yourselves. Somethin's off."

"Between the Royal Medic and the Personal Bodyguard, I'm pretty confident everything will be fine. Do we really need the Royal Trainer on board, too?"

Gleeson Hedge looked out to sea, the few gray hairs on his head shining in the evening light. "Hmm…."

Will sighed, the older man's worry penetrating his hopes of their short voyage having smooth sailing. "Oh, forget it. Last chance, Annabeth: do you really want to go out to sea for your birthday?"

"You only turn seventeen once, Will." She walked up the beam leading onto the ship, lifting her grey skirt so that she wouldn't trip.

"You said that last year," he mumbled. "But, whatever you say, Princess. As long as you're happy on your birthday. We've got quite a lot planned for you; just wait and see."

* * *

Frank shot another arrow at the bullzeye. It landed in the center circle with a _thunk_. "How long has it been?"

"Three hours and twenty… two minutes," Thalia said, not taking her eyes off the open water.

"Exactly twenty-two minutes?"

"Oh, what does it matter?" Nico joined Thalia on the pathway. "He left us. Made us look unprepared and foolish in front of the entire kingdom. What I'd give to be in that throne room when he gets here…"

"Give him some slack," Jason said. He swam up behind the two, finding himself just as restless as the others. Waiting in their practice arena while King Poseidon and Chiron discussed punishment inside was agonizing. "He works just as hard as the rest of us, and we all deserve a break every now and then."

"Are you defending him, Grace?"

"Of course I'm not. I'm just saying, I understand where he gets it from. We train every day. We work our tails off. Sneaking away shouldn't be that much of a surprise."

Calypso laughed. The boys looked at her. She'd been laying on a bench, tossing her dagger in the water and catching it. "Don't forget what he actually does when he slithers off. Going to old shipwrecks, finding human things… We're lucky we even know about that."

She sat up. "I think scavenger hunting is fascinating and all- and as much as I'd love to go around scurraging through ships instead of training- we still showed up. Percy needs to get his priorities straight. Our team comes before knick-knack collecting."

"There he is," Thalia said.

The training arena stilled.

Percy and Grover came swimming up the path, breathing heavily, causing millions of bubbles to swirl in the water.

Percy leaned against a pillar. "How… bad… is… it?"

"You're dead, Jackson," Thalia said flatly, her arms crossed.

He sunk to the floor. "Goodbye, dear friends." He rubbed sweat off his brow. (Though it didn't make much of a difference in the water.) "Jason, Frank, take care of Tyson for me-"

"Oh, grow up, Percy." Thalia yanked him upright and pushed him toward the castle. "We all want this to be over. Best to not let the anger boil too hot."

"I'll be right there with you," Grover said, also gasping. "We've survived worse than this. Bring it on!"

"I would not test Poseidon," Calypso warned.

"Just get in there." Thalia gave Percy another shove as he handed his bag off to Frank. "Seriously, the tension is killing me."

* * *

"I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young man."

"Father, I'm sorry. I just forgot, I-"

"As a result of your careless behavior-"

Chiron swam up next to the sitting King, staring down at Percy. "Careless and reckless behavior."

"-the entire training session was, well-"

"It was ruined." Percy winced at this, worried the crab would smack him in the head with his staff. "That's all. Completely destroyed." Chiron swam back down to cut the distance between himself and the Prince. "This session was to be the pinnacle of our entire program." He gave another harsh look. "Now, thanks to you, we are the laughing stock of the entire kingdom."

Grover swam between the two, no longer able to linger behind his best friend. "But it wasn't his fault." Poseidon and Chiron raised their eyebrows, unimpressed, as if daring him to come up with a decent explanation for their actions. "Uh, well, um, first, the shark chased us. Yeah… Yeah. And we tried to-" He mimicked fast swimming motions.

King Poseidon put an elbow on his throne chair's arm, leaning into his palm. His face said, _Great. Here we go with the stories_.

"-But we couldn't. And he-" Grover barred his teeth and growled. "And, and then we, whoa!" He spun in the water, making his brain dizzy. "And then we were safe. But then this seagull came, and it was- 'This is this, and that is that, and-'" he mocked Rachel's voice.

"Wait." Poseidon sat up straighter. "Seagull?"

Grover gasped, realizing what he'd slipped. He put his fins over his mouth and hid behind Percy. The Prince looked at his friend, annoyed.

"What?" King Poseidon gripped his trident. His green eyes flashed. "You went up to the surface again, didn't you?" His son looked away. "Didn't you?"

Percy wrung his hands. "Nothing… happened." He tried for a shrug.

"Oh, Percy. How many times must we go through this?" The merman rubbed his forehead, getting out of his chair. He would never understand his son's obsession with the world above them. "You could have been seen by one of those barbarians- by one of those humans."

"Father, they're not barbarians."

"They're dangerous." He put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Do you think I want to see my eldest son snared by some fish eater's hook?"

Percy backed away. "I'm sixteen years old. I'm not a child anymore."

Poseidon pointed a finger at him. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young man."

"But-"

"As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules."

Percy threw his arms out. "But if you would just listen-"

"Not another word!" King Poseidon's voice boomed around the throne room. For a split second, Percy feared his father would fire a burst of energy at an unsuspecting pillar with his trident. "And I am never, never to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?"

Percy tried to straighten up, frustration swirling inside him. He looked at his father, the one merman he felt had never understood him. The one person that had been there his whole life, but hadn't taken the time to know his brain.

He turned away, no longer able to hold himself together, and darted out of the room, Grover right on his tail.

Poseidon sighed. He sat back down, putting his chin in his palm again.

"Teeneagers," Chiron said. "They think they know everything, don't they? You give them an inch and then… They practically swim all over you."

King Poseidon pursed his lips. Handling his son was never as simple as carrying out his royal duties. He wished he could make a law that made his son obedient. But that would be breaking too many morals. "Do… you think I was too hard on him?"

"Oh, no, sire. Definitely not. These children need restraints. If Percy was my son, I'd show him who's boss. At least, that's how they phrase it these days.

"But, none of this, flitting to the surface and other foolish nonsense. No. I'd keep him under tight control."

Poseidon rubbed his chin. "You're absolutely right, Chiron."

"Thank you, sire."

"Percy needs constant supervision."

Chiron nodded. "Constant."

"More than the royal guard. Someone to watch over him; to keep him out of trouble."

"All the time," Chiron agreed.

"Someone who already knows how he would act. And you-" Poseidon poked the crab's shell, "-are just the crab to do it."

Chiron almost dropped his staff. His eyes widened. "Of- of course, your majesty." He gave a small bow.

King Poseidon smiled, satisfied, secretly hoping he'd fixed a temporary problem. Once his son started acting within reason, he'd let him go wherever he wanted.

Chiron turned and started down, making his way to the floor to follow Percy. He gave a small sigh, wondering why he'd given the King any ideas at all.

He trained warriors day in and day out- and now he was given the task of babysitting Atlantica's eldest Prince. Like he hadn't been doing that already.

* * *

 **I feel like this chapter was a lot shorter than it should have been. More to come next time- Part of Your World will certainly be interesting.**

 **I like portraying Thalia as the older, responsible, sister role-model figure. She just tries to keep order among the 'children'.**

 **Just a little trivia, I never post a new chapter unless I have the next one done. Like, I have this posted, but I already have Chapter 5 written. I still have to finish editing and writing Chapter 6, that's all. It's my way of making sure I always have something to post. (Also, FYI for those who don't know, you can leave guest reviews.)**

 **I'll be back soon enough :)**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again!**

 **I want to thank all of you who have been reading my stories here on Fanfiction, because without you I wouldn't have reached over 400 total story views in the US in the month of December! Thank you all soooo much- not just in the US, but everywhere in the world!**

 **I also want to make a quick shout-out to my friend DragonBookLoverKitkat913 (Kitkat) for giving me criticism on my stories before I share them with you all! She writes Rise of the Guardians (ROTG) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) stories, as well as a few PJO one-shots. If any of you feel curious, go check out her profile. She's under my Favorite Authors list.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter. There's actually disney music in it- Yay!**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 5

The palace got lonely sometimes. When Percy had started training for combat, Tyson wondered what to do with himself. His father wouldn't let him fight alongside his brother, proclaiming it too dangerous. This left the young prince in seemingly isolated freedom.

He discovered that he had a knack for helping form the weapons that would go to the army. The underwater forge was where mined celestial bronze went to be melted down by scolding hot volcanic vents. Tyson, being rather large and bulky for his young age, fit perfectly among the blacksmiths. They would even joke that his orange tail proved he was meant to work by the volcanoes.

Last year, when in the Royal Document Hall in the palace, he met a mermaid named Ella. She was an apprentice to the head council-mermaid in the department, learning her way around the organized shelves of seaweed parchment and piles of squid ink bottles. He often found himself in a strange trance around her.

The two were currently walking back to the hall after an awkward lunch. King Poseidon had still been fuming about the incident earlier that morning, and didn't bother going to the dining hall. Tyson couldn't blame his father- Percy had missed a big chance to show how all his hard training was paying off- but the King had created a tight tension in the castle. Many of his other friends, like Nico and Thalia, didn't even show themselves. They went straight to the training arena and awaited Percy's return.

It had only been Ella, Tyson, Juniper (Grover's girlfriend) and Mellie, the Palace's herald, that ate in the dining room, not leaving much room for conversation.

"I hope he is okay," the Prince now said.

Ella nodded, her red hair swishing around her head. "He will be punished when he returns."

"Yes- then he will not be okay."

Ella lay a hand on his arm. "Tyson. No matter what happens, everything will work out. It is supposed to."

He shifted his brown eyes to the floor briefly. "How do you know that?"

She tapped her head. "Ella knows so."

This made him smile. "Ella is also smart."

She smiled back at him, her cheeks pink. Movement from down the hall caught Tyson's attention.

Percy and Grover were jetting through the water, heading in the opposite direction of the throne room.

"Percy?"

The older merman stopped. "Oh." He wiped his face furiously. "Hey, Tyson. What's up?"

"Are you okay, Brother?" Tyson asked, frowning.

"I-I'll be fine. I just need some fresh water. I'm heading to the cave to think for a bit- but don't worry about me." Percy knew that look on his brother's face. Tyson wanted to make him feel better, but there was nothing he could say or do to make their father change his mind.

"Hey, I'll tell you what," Percy continued. "I have a cool story I gotta share with you later. Right now… I'd just rather not be in the palace."

"Okay." Tyson threw his large arms around Percy. In his ear, Tyson said, "Don't let dad's words get to you."

Percy held him at arm's length. "Thanks, Tyson."

He ruffled the boy's brown hair and continued on down the corridor, Grover still following him.

Ella swished her deep red tail. "Your father chastised him?"

"Yes. Percy often does things Dad does not like." He stared after his brother. "He is a happy person, but is often very sad."

* * *

Mellie frowned at the floor below her, mumbling to a little green fish that swam by her side. "First royal event that happens in months..." Being the Royal Announcer took extreme concentration, dedication, and precision. It didn't require many work hours- but when it did, it meant the palace's reputation was in potential jeopardy. "...And Percy disappears to gods-know- oof!"

The Sea Prince crashed into her.

She tumbled to the floor, her dark locks floating in her face. The green fish darted to the side. "What the- Percy?!"

"Oh my gods- Mellie! I'm so, so sorry. I-"

"Grover?" the green fish asked. Her auburn stripes shimmered in the lit hallway.

Grover slowed his breathing. He raised what would be his fish eyebrows. "Juniper?"

"Where have you been?!" Mellie furiously adjusted her sash. "I've been so worried- If you hadn't come back Poseidon would have turned this place upside down! Then we _definitely_ would've never seen you again- and you're heir to the throne so that would have been a disaster-"

"Mellie," Percy said.

She stopped. The emotion in his voice surprised her. He sounded defeated and solemn.

"Thanks for the concern, but…"

"Percy?" Juniper asked cautiously. "Are you okay? You don't look like yourself."

"I'll be fine. I just saw Tyson and Ella. I told them I need some fresh water to breathe. Which is true-"

"But you really need time to yourself." Mellie placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Percy. Just… Please think things through. We all have roles to play here at the palace. Each one is important. And, they may not always be what they seem."

He tried for a smile. "Thanks, Mellie." He started to swim off. "And… I'm sure you did a great job announcing today. I know how much your job means to you." He swam around the corner, disappearing.

Grover sighed. "Guess I'll be swimming around all day, huh?"

Juniper patted his side. "You _are_ his best friend. If he's ever needed you, it's now. Go. Make sure he doesn't make anymore careless mistakes."

"No promises." He followed after Percy.

Mellie scratched her white tail. "Hard to believe that one day he'll run the kingdom. I'd hate to be the person Poseidon sends to watch over him."

"You really think he'll do that?"

"I have no doubt. Especially if Chiron has any say in it. That crab is smarter than this whole kingdom combined. He won't let Percy be unsupervised."

* * *

Chiron scuffled out of the throne room. He sighed. "How do I get myself into these situations?" he asked himself. He trudged along the hallway. "I should be training armies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager." He reached the entrance to the arena, where Percy was talking to his friends.

"I'm sorry guys." Percy took an orange bag from Frank. "I know I messed up training. I care about it, really. You know how strong my dedication to the kingdom is. But when my dad refuses to understand me…" He looked off into the distance. "I'm going to the cave." He gave a sweep of the courtyard, making sure no other ears could hear their conversation. Chiron ducked to the side, hoping the Prince wouldn't catch on to his actions.

"I just need a break from this place," he continued. "You can join me if you want. But with or without you, I'm leaving." He turned and swam out of the arena.

Calypso looked between the other teenagers. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to see what he picked up while he was ditching us." She hurried after Percy and Grover.

Nico's eyes trailed after them. "Ok, I'm convinced."

Chiron watched as the training arena emptied itself. "What are those kids up to?" He crawled along the seafloor, trying his best to stay out of his students' eyesights.

The group swam to the outskirts of the kingdom, passing through a lengthy coral garden and around rocky bends. _What in the world is going on?_ Chiron thought. _Where could they possibly be going? What are they hiding?_

Percy stopped in front of a large boulder. He moved it aside and looked over his shoulder. Grover swam inside, followed by his friends. He scanned his surroundings, then swam inside himself.

Chiron sprinted through the water to get in before the entrance closed. He wormed into the dark space, his staff getting jammed between the rocks. He yanked it free, falling down to a lower level in the cavern. He blinked to adjust to the dimly lit chamber.

Light seeped into the cave from an opening far above the group's heads. Every nook and cranny in the place was filled with bizarre objects- many looked similar to decor they had at the palace, others seemed to be from an entirely different planet.

Percy pulled two items out of his bag before tossing the sack aside. He placed one of the gadgets on a ledge, then planted himself in front of one of the strange objects in the cavern, holding the other item.

Jason picked up the brown Snarfblat. "What is this?" he asked.

Calypso eyed it. "It reminds me of an instrument, but… something's off about it."

"Please." Thalia took it from them and set it back down. "We don't need anymore music around here. Between merpeople's natural ability to sing and Calypso's lyre, we've got plenty."

"Shh," Grover quieted them. He swam over to Percy, who was still sitting on the floor, holding the dinglehopper. "Percy? Are you okay?"

He sighed. "If only I could make him understand." Chiron covered his mouth with his claw. This place was the very bane of the King's existence.

"I just don't see things the way he does. I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things…" He looked up at Grover. "Could be bad?" Chiron silently raised an eyebrow at the boy. Was he seriously talking about humans?

"Look at this stuff-" he held the dinglehopper up to the light, just like he had an hour ago in front of Rachel, "-isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?" His voice slowly developed a soft, almost melancholy rhythm to it.

He placed the item among others atop a stand near the floor. "Wouldn't you think I'm the guy. The guy who has…" he looked up at the cavern, "everything…"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Here we go…"

Percy smiled. "Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around here you'd think, sure," he shrugged, floating up to a pair of hanging, well, Chiron had no clue what. "He's got everything. I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty." He held them in his hands, admiring their beauty for a brief moment.

"I've got whozits and whatzits galore." He swam past Chiron's hiding spot, startling the crab. He ducked behind a wiry object containing two glass circles. They magnified Chiron's eyes tenfold.

Percy snatched up a container and brought it back to Grover. "You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty." He opened the box to show corkscrew-like objects.

The Prince's face suddenly dropped. "But who cares…" He closed it and placed it down. "No big deal…" He folded his arms and leaned on the case. "I want more…" he held out a note that seemed to grasp the room in emotion and power.

"I wanna be where the people are," he turned around, looking for an object across the cave. "I wanna see-" he swam over to a figurine depicting a human couple, "-wanna see them dancin'." He rotated the statue, causing it to create delicate music. "Walking around on those…" he looked at his best friend. "What do you call them?"

Grover turned and swished his tail at Percy. "Oh- feet." He grinned and tickled Grover. The fish laughed playfully.

Chiron rolled his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his free claw. _Percy, what are you doing?_

"Flipping your fins, you don't get too far," he relaxed, floating on his back, and moved his tail up and down, demonstrating their small use. Grover followed his example. "Legs are required for jumpin'," Percy grabbed Grover's fins, pulling him along excitedly, "dancin', strollin' along down a-" the pair pretended to walk on land. Percy abruptly stopped. "What's that word again?" He scratched his chin, then snapped his fingers. "Street."

He continued pulling Grover higher in the cavern. A school of fish came in from the top opening and scoured the walls of the chamber. "Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, wandering free." He let go of his friend and spun around in the water. "Wish I could be, part of that world."

"What would I give, if I could live out of these waters?" Chiron skimmed around a giant sphere. He turned and found his large reflection staring back at him. He gave a startled gasp, and backed into a container. It closed on him.

Percy sank back down in the water. "What would I pay, to spend the day, warm on the sand?" He spread out his limbs on the cavern floor. Grover dug himself a bed of sand, burying the bottom half of his body in the earth.

"Betcha on land," Percy sat up on his elbow. "They understand," he lifted the rest of his body up. "Bet they don't, reprimand all their sons. Bright young strong men," he straightened his shoulders and looked up at the shining sunlight. "Sick of swimmin'. Ready to stand." He somersaulted through the water, stopping in front of a reading Calypso.

She was holding the human version of a book, its pages and binding barely holding themselves together in the deep water. Grover swam up to join them. Percy took the book from her. "Hey!" she said.

"And ready to know what the people know," he flipped through the pages, showing the fish the faded words and pictures. "Ask them my questions and get some answers."

Chiron pushed against his prison, causing the container to roll down its ledge. _Oh no_ , he thought.

Percy crossed the chamber to hover by an old painting of a woman watching a candle flame. Much of the paint and canvas was faded and torn. "What's a fire, and why does it, what's the word? Burn." Percy clenched his fists. "When's it my turn?"

He swam to the top of the cavern. "Wouldn't I love- love to explore that shore up above." He reached his hand out of the opening, out into the sunlight; his dreams so close, yet so impossibly far away.

"Out of the sea…" he retracted his hand and gave a solemn sigh. "Wish I… could be…" He let his body slowly sink back down to the sandy floor one last time. His friends trailed him with their eyes. "Part of that…" yet he didn't take his eyes off the light. Not for one second. "World…" he let his note fade off into the depths.

Chiron continued to spin in his trap. He hit a rock and crashed to the bottom of the cave. The momentum shot him out. He smacked against a box, which contained an object that popped out and launched the crab into a pile of beads and sheets of fabric.

The mess tumbled down from its resting place until finally coming to a stop in front of a very startled Frank Zhang. Grover hid inside a helmet, frightened. Everyone else turned to look at the crustacean.

Percy gasped. "Chiron!"

Their trainer glared at them from under the mess. He shook himself free and looked at the Prince. "Percy, what are you… How could you…" he fished his staff from the pile and attempted to steady his mind. "What is all of this?"

"It's, um…" Percy wrung his hands. Grover came out of hiding and swam next to him. "It's just my collection." He gave a nervous laugh.

"Oh," Chiron untangled a fish hook from one of his legs. "I see… your collection." They stared at each other. Chiron's authoritative personality reached a tipping point. "If your father knew about this place, young man-"

"You're not gonna tell him, are you?" Grover asked.

Percy swam over to his instructor. "Oh, please, Chiron. He would never understand."

"Percy," Chiron tried for a gentler tone. "You're under a lot of pressure down here. We all know that." He started making his way to the boulder blocking the exit. "Come with me, I'll take you all home and get this sorted out like civilized-"

A dark shadow passed over the cavern. The sunlight disappeared from the group's sight.

"What in the…" Jason gaped.

Percy stopped following Chiron. "What do you suppose…?" He started making his way towards the surface.

"Percy?" Chiron called.

Thalia cupped her hands around her mouth. "Percy! Don't you dare-" but it was too late.

He was already out of the cavern.

* * *

 **And there you have it!**

 **Sorry for the lengthy chapter, but it was so worth it! Also sorry for taking forever to update this. I've built up so much on this story, I'm trying to get ahead so that I can start releasing at good time intervals.**

 **Also big thanks to all who read these notes, and maybe support the ship name Malex a little more (crosses fingers) because honestly guys, a last-name-ship is really reserved for Solangelo only. Because they're special and precious.**

 **Thanks for reading! Be back soon! Check out my one-shots I have in the meantime- they're all in the PJO universe.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	6. Chapter 6

**The next chapter is finally here! Sorry for being silent for almost 2 months- I've been so busy… but that's a message for the end of this chapter.**

 **Anyway, I would like to give another shout-out to a very good friend of mine who goes by Rhoda Riley, and her amazing story At the End's Edge. It is the first book in a series by her so please go check that out. You can get it on Amazon or for your kindle. I'll leave links on my profile so that you can check out the summary and tumblr page.**

 **Also, I'd suggest listening to the storm score from The Little Mermaid soundtrack while reading this chapter. I'll leave a link for it on my profile. Just right click the video, put it on loop, and read on through.**

 **Ok, enough of that- let's get to the story. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 6

If anyone knew how to throw the perfect birthday celebration, it was the crew from the palace.

The ship was anchored a few miles off the palace's docks, floating in the middle of the ocean. Dozens of lanterns were hung about the ship, illuminating it from just about every angle. The occupants of the vessel were out on the deck, dancing to music played by minstrels in the corner.

Festus jumped around the crowd as Leo sat atop the main mast, keeping a watchful eye on everyone, as well as throwing the occasional piece of scrap metal at an unsuspecting victim. (All within Reyna's safety protocols, of course.)

Piper, as usual, was trying to comfort a weak Hazel, who was practically lying on the wooden steps that lead below deck, succumbed by motion sickness. She held a bucket by her mouth, trying to keep her yellow dress clean.

Princess Annabeth stood in the middle of the deck, chatting with her guests. The bits of silver ribbon on her green dress sparkled in the lantern light.

Reyna tapped her shoulder. "I think we should wait till Hazel calms down to give you your gift. It won't be for a while. Will's already said he can't do anything about the motion sickness."

"Well, we'll just continue to dance until then. Now that we're anchored, I don't think it'll take long for her to settle down, for we aren't moving anymore." She wrapped an arm around Reyna's elbow. "The night is still young, my friend. C'mon, it's a party! Let's have fun. No need to worry about gifts right now."

Reyna smiled, shouting, "Begin the fireworks!"

* * *

Percy sped up to the surface of the water, his head splashing out of the waves. About a quarter mile in front of him floated the biggest ship Percy had ever seen. Giant balls of colorful light exploded in the night sky, illuminating the water in different colors.

His friends surfaced next to him.

Chiron glared at the Prince. "Percy, what are you-" His eyes locked on the ship. "Oh, my," he gaped.

"Jumpin' Jellyfish," Jason breathed.

Percy let out an ecstatic laugh. This was his chance to see humans up close. He could prove to his father that they weren't horrifying and cruel, that they were just like any other species on Earth.

He sank back in the water and leaped out, diving toward the vessel.

"Percy?" Chiron called to him over the loud booms. "Perseus Jackson!"

"Percy, please," Thalia pleaded next to Chiron. "Come back!" It was pointless. She exchanged looks with the others.

Nico shook his head as they unanimously moved toward Percy and the ship. "We just never catch a break."

Percy hovered at the ship's side, scanning the wood structure. He found a handhold and started to climb.

He planted himself on a ledge and peered through an opening near the bottom of the deck. Wonderful festive music filled his ears- men playing various instruments were off to the side providing the sweet melodies. Young men in tunics danced with girls in beautiful dresses.

A strange looking animal wove in and out of the groups of people, it's surface gleaming like celestial bronze in the lantern light.

It stuck its nose up and sniffed the air, raising a large eyebrow. It turned its head in a circle, looking for the source of the smell.

The dog started making its way toward Percy's spot.

Percy jolted with panic, realizing he had been discovered. He pressed his body against the side of the ship, trying to hide from the animal.

His friends gathered below him.

Frank tried to call up to Percy without attracting attention. "What's going on?"

Percy held up a finger to his lips. After a moment he peaked back at the scene, finding himself face-to-face with the metallic creature. It licked Percy's cheek, giving a happy bark. Percy laughed, rubbing his slimy face.

"Festus! Come back over here!"

The dog turned and ran back to a group of teenagers. One was a boy playing an instrument ( _a snarfblat_ , Percy thought), another a girl with dark braided hair.

At the center was a girl with curly blonde hair, twirling in a green dress, filling the air with laughter. She bent down and scratched Festus. "Whatcha doing, Festus, huh?" Her grey eyes lit up the night. "You're a good boy," she smiled. "Yes you are, yes you are."

"Don't get too comfy down there!" a boy shouted from the top mast.

The girl rolled her eyes.

Percy's heart leapt in his chest. The whole scene was entrancing, but the girl in the midst of it all had an aura around her he had never witnessed before.

He was trying to remember how to breathe when a voice behind him startled him.

"Hey there, Percy!" Rachel flew up beside him in her seagull form. "Quite the show, huh?"

"Rachel, be quiet! They'll hear you." Percy waved her down. She perched next to him.

"Oooh. I gotcha, I gotcha…" She peeked over the ledge to look at the scene with him. "We're being trepidacious."

"Is that a word?"

She held up a wing. "We're out to discover-!"

Percy closed her beak in his fist, rolling his eyes.

"Percy!" Chiron hissed from the water. "Get back down here!"

Rachel looked down. "Who's that?"

"Ignore them." He focused back on the party. "I've never seen a human this close before." His eyes landed on the blonde girl again. He crossed his arms on the wood beneath him, laying his head down. Sighing, he said, "She's very pretty, isn't she?"

Rachel followed his eyesight. She raised an eyebrow. "Hm… I don't know. She looks kinda shiny and- slobbery. To me, anyway…"

Percy laughed, shaking his head. "Not that one." He pointed Rachel's head a little higher. "Next to the one playing the snarfblatt. Dancing."

Two more girls walked over, one rubbing the other's back. The girl with the braid nodded her head, then clapped loudly.

"Silence, silence!" The party-goers stopped the music and fireworks. She gave a small smile. "It is now my honor, and privilege, to present our esteemed Princess Annabeth-" she held out an arm to the blonde, "-with a very special, very," she coughed, "ehem, _expensive_ , very large birthday present."

She walked over to a giant mound covered with a tarp. The crowd cheered.

"Aw, Reyna." Annabeth clapped the girl on the shoulder. "Old friend, you shouldn't have."

Reyna straightened her tunic. "I know. It was a team effort." One of the other girls pulled the tarp from the present. "Happy Birthday, Annabeth."

Underneath the sheet was a statue of the princess. She was sitting on a short column in a grecian dress, a long scepter in one hand, a giant shield with an 'A' held at her side in her other arm. Her stone face was set with a serious look.

Percy had a feeling that this girl was often serious, but didn't like coming across as cold and, quite possibly, unforgiving.

The crowd cheered again. Annabeth, however, raised both eyebrows in shock. She had to blink several times before registering what she saw.

Festus gave a low growl. From the basket above, the boy from earlier said, "I was _not_ a part of the team that assembled that. Just clarifying."

Annabeth let out a small laugh. "Well, gee, Reyna. It's a, it's… It's really something." She rubbed her neck, moving closer to the piece.

"Yes, I commissioned it myself," Reyna said.

"It's great. I mean, the stone work is flawless… I certainly never would have guessed at the," she coughed, "the, um, pose. Haha. Definitely got me by surprise…"

"Yes…" The blonde boy from earlier joined them. "Of course, we had hoped that it would be an _engagement_ present."

Annabeth laughed. "Oh, come on, Will. Don't start." She started walking toward the other side of the ship, grabbing a spyglass from the top of a barrel.

Percy's eyes widened as the Princess approached his spot. He and Rachel ducked to the side, hoping to avoid being seen.

"Look, you're not still sore because I didn't fall for the Prince of Asgard, are you?" She used the spyglass to look out over the ocean. Seeing nothing interesting, she closed it back up. "I mean, that's so close to where my cousin lives…" she tossed the object to Will.

He fumbled with it for a moment before speaking again. "Annabeth-"

"-It isn't us alone," Reyna finished. Annabeth grabbed one of the ship's ropes and sat on the railing, looking out at the dark horizon. "The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right boy."

At the top of the mast, Leo jerked upright. He looked left and right, the wind ruffling his curly black hair.

Something was off.

"He's out there somewhere. I just…" Annabeth's face dropped. "I just haven't found him yet."

Percy though his heart would hammer out of his chest. This girl had to be about his age. And a _princess_. She must have been under pressure by royal duties just as much as he was.

"Perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough," Will said.

Festus suddenly perked up his ears, as if scanning his environment. He gave the air a sniff with his metal nose.

Leo pulled out his own spyglass and surveyed the ship's surroundings. He spotted something in the distance that made him freeze.

"Believe me, Will, when I find him I'll know."

"Oh, gods," Leo gasped. Festus looked up at him.

Hazel seemed to notice. "Leo, what is it?"

The Princess continued talking. "Without a doubt, it'll just, bam! Hit me."

"Annabeth," Leo called. Festus barked as the wind picked up.

"Like lightning."

BOOM!

It was a sound that shook the ship's occupants to the core. Thunder rumbled across the waves as lightning lit up the cloudy sky.

"Hurricane a-comin'!" Leo shouted. He grabbed a rope and swung down to the deck. "Stand fast! Secure the rigging!"

Annabeth's eyes widened as rain started speckling the deck. The guests scrambled around the ship, some following Leo's orders, others hiding from the incoming rain.

Leo raced to the wheel as two men pulled the anchor from the ocean. "We need to get back to port- fast," he said as he passed Reyna. Festus followed him to the steering wheel.

The wind and rain picked up. The sea churned.

"It's not safe up here," Frank said in the water. "We need to go back down."

Nico was the first to do so, Jason following after a stern look from his sister. Chiron and Grover tried calling Percy back down as a wave rushed over them.

"Woah!" Rachel lost her balance, nearly falling into the sea. She tried hanging on, gripping a rogue rope from the ship. "The wind's all of a sudden on the move here- Ah!" She lost her grip, and Percy watched the storm suck her up into the sky. "Percyyyy!"

On deck, Annabeth threw a rope to Piper. Together they pulled down on the ship's system, lifting the sails up. Men on the mast tied the sheets together with more ropes.

Leo slipped from the wheel, skidding across the wooden boards. "Reyna!"

The girl stumbled over as the ship crested a big wave.

The vessel crashed back down into the water. The ocean leaped over the sides of the ship, dousing the already soaked crew.

Reyna reached the wheel and leaned her body against it, trying to keep the ship on course.

Will coughed up a lungful of seawater. He looked up and saw Hazel unconscious on the deck. "No." He hobbled to her. The motion sickness must have been two much. "Hazel."

The winds only grew stronger.

On the side of the ship, Percy found himself in the same position as Rachel. He clung to a rope, not wanting to blow away like his bird friend. His fingers felt like ice. His black hair whipped around his head. _Let go_ , a voice in the back of his mind told him. He clenched his teeth, hoping he was making the right decision.

He unclenched his fists, falling into the water. The ocean was like a warm blanket welcoming him home.

"Percy." Calypso grabbed his arm. "We need to go."

"But those people-"

"We can't do anything to help them. If we stay, it will only do us harm."

Percy looked at the ship above them. "No. You go."

"Per-"

"I won't get too close. I just need to make sure they make it out. All of them."

Calypso could only look at him. She knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind. The mermaid turned and swam down to join the others.

 _Don't regret this, Jackson_ , Percy told himself.

He resurfaced and saw the most horrifying scene unfold.

Lightning shot out of the sky, grabbing the ship in it's twig-like bolts. The mast caught fire.

Despite Reyna's attempt to keep the ship on track, they had veered off course. The fire lit up the dark that came between the lightning strikes. She saw the jagged rocks that they were headed toward.

Will tried to get people to start piling into the lifeboats as he heard Reyna shout, "Look out!"

 _CRASH!_

That was all Annabeth could comprehend as her entire party flew into the water.

She scrambled into a lifeboat with Will, Piper, and an unconscious Hazel. Reyna soon joined them. "Where's Leo?" Annabeth asked.

"Here!" He struggled to keep afloat, his flailing arms the only sign of his existence.

Piper and Will reached into the water, pulling him out. "Leo, hang on!" Piper encouraged.

"No schist," he coughed.

They hauled him into the boat. A bark sounded through the burning wreckage. "Festus," Annabeth said.

Leo continued his coughing fit. "No- no, Annabeth-" She jumped into the water.

"Annabeth!" Reyna tried calling her back.

The Princess didn't listen. She reached the wreckage and climbed aboard, dodging pieces of burning debris. She spotted Festus at the helm. He was still barking, the flames getting close to his metal body.

"Festus!" Annabeth called to him. "Don't worry, it's okay- just jump."

The mechanical dog suddenly shuddered, his limbs twisting and turning in strange ways.

Annabeth knit her eyebrows together, panic rising in her chest. "Festus?"

"Annabeth." Leo grabbed the side of the lifeboat, hoisting himself up. "Come back! He's fine- don't worry about him!"

"Leo-" Piper started.

"No, Pipes, you don't understand. He can turn into a-"

A loud screech pierced the air. The smoke billowed high as a giant bronze dragon rose above the burning ship. Its wingspan must have been at least 30 feet long, its glowing red eyes piercing through the chaos.

Piper's mouth hung open. "A _dragon?!_ "

On the sinking ship, Annabeth stumbled backwards. The new Festus flew off into the night. She coughed through the growing smoke. "What the-?"

A large piece of the mast fell down, trapping part of the Princess' skirt.

Annabeth gasped from the sudden heat. "No." She tugged on the dress. "No, no, no." She got on her knees and tried ripping the fabric free. Several layers were stuck under the burning wood.

"Annabeth!" her friends yelled.

The fire spread to the broken lower decks of the ship. It jumped onto a pile of barrels that were thrown to the side in the crash. They were labeled _Gunpowder_.

What was left of the beautiful vessel exploded, setting off the rest of the fireworks the crew had put together.

Percy gasped. He dove down into the water and resurfaced in the middle of the wreckage, frantic. He spotted Annabeth clinging to a piece of wood board from the pre-existing deck.

There was a pounding in her head she had never felt before. The explosion must have rattled her brain, giving her a concussion. _Stay awake_ , she told herself. _Don't… let… go…_

She lost her grip on the debris, black taking over her head.

She fell under.

Percy dove down. He wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and hauled her to the surface. He started paddling in the direction the ship had been headed- the shore by the palace.

"Come on, Annabeth," he said. He hoped deep down that she could hear him. "We can do this. Just stay with me. Stay with me…"

As they moved away from the wreckage, the fireworks continued to shoot off in the pouring rain. And the wreckage of the palace's ship sank to the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

 **This chapter was long but** _ **very**_ **productive.**

 **This was about seven-ish minutes of the actual movie. The next chapter might be a little shorter, but we'll see!**

 **Again, I apologize for taking so long to update- I've had this ready for a while but I needed time for other things- The Death Cure came out and I cried (go see it, it's sooo good) And I've had meets and competitions for things- Junior year is not a joke in high school. Fanfiction has just not been at the top of my priority list, but I needed to update so that you all won't forget about this story. I promise I have not forgotten about it- this story is too important to me.**

 **On the bright side, I got a twitter, so you all can follow me and realize that I'm actually not dead between my long pauses of updating XD**

 **Please follow this story so that you just get automatic messages when I update- it will make everyone's lives easier. Check out my other stories in the meantime :)**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	7. Chapter 7

**Again, sooo sorry for taking forever to post this next chapter, but now that I'm out for summer vacation I should be moving along much faster.**

 **I also want to make one thing clear- this story is written for the Heroes of Olympus series. Anything that happens in the Rick Riordan Universe after this does not apply to this story. (Except for Solangelo being cannon, but we all knew that was coming.) Yes, I mentioned that Annabeth has a cousin that lives near Asgard, but she mentioned Magnus in the Blood of Olympus, so I say it's fair ground. Everything else that comes after Blood of Olympus, just ignore. Please and thank you.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter :)**

* * *

Chapter 7

Percy stayed until morning. His arms were cold. His tail felt like it had been scratched up in the sand. His eyes hurt from being strained in the dark.

About an hour after they made it to land, the storm died out. She hadn't moved one bit since he'd gotten her out of the water.

Her dress was soaked and torn, and her hair, which had been in a neat and tidy bun, was loose and littered with sandy particles. Her shoes were missing, as was one of her earrings.

There had been no sign of his friends or his mentor. He sat on the beach next to the blonde alone, praying to the gods that she was going to be alright. He wished he knew how to help the Princess- he'd never been in such close contact with humans, let alone healed one after an explosion. All he could do was watch over her.

At dawn, Rachel spotted them and landed.

A small part of Percy was thrilled that she was okay, but the feeling quickly went away. Of course she was- Rachel was a tough bird/human creature. (Percy didn't exactly know what to call her.) And he was currently dealing with the life of a young human Princess.

The bird inched close to her. Rachel changed to her human form, kneeling.

"Is she…" Percy forced himself to ask the question as Rachel opened one of the girl's grey eyes with her fingers, "...Dead?"

"Hmm…" She pursed her lips. "It's hard to say." She crawled over to Annabeth's feet, holding one up to her ear. Rachel shook her red locks. "No, I… I can't make out a heartbeat."

"I don't think you're doing it right." He looked at Annabeth, biting the inside of his cheek.

Then the Princess stirred. She moved her head the slightest way, parting her lips to get more air into her body.

"No, look!" Percy felt a million pounds come off his shoulders. "She's breathing." He let himself laugh with happiness. "Thank the gods." He put a cool hand to her forehead, moving a few golden strands away from her features.

He felt like he was having trouble breathing himself. There was no way that someone like her could be one of the vicious creatures his father had described to him. "She's so beautiful…" He tilted her head so that her nose was no longer touching the sand.

"Gods, you really had me worried…" He knew she probably couldn't hear him, but hoped the sound of his voice might bring her back to her senses. He'd seen the medics do it at in the palace infirmary before."You can't lose the life you have. Here on land, as a human. You can make all those amazing objects and beautiful paintings and wonderful books. At least, I think they're books. We have something like them from where I come from…"

He sighed. "What would I give, to live where you are?" he asked softly.

In the water, a figure rose from the waves. Thalia blinked through the growing light, spotting the Prince. "There he is!" She dove back down. "Guys, I found him!"

"What would I pay," Percy continued. "To stay here beside you?" The relief and happiness he felt found its way into his voice.

Thalia resurfaced with the rest of her friends. "Look."

Rachel noticed them, turning back into a bird before flying over. "Hey, Grover. Calypso, Nico, Jason-"

"Do I know you?" Chiron asked as he climbed onto a nearby rock.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare, how ya doin'?" she held out a wing.

"Wait." Nico pushed to the front of the group. "What's he doing?"

Chiron shifted his gaze toward Percy, who was still lying on the beach next to Annabeth. If he knew the others had found him, he showed no indication of it.

"What would I do to see you," Percy sang quietly, "Smiling at me?"

Chiron's jaw hit the rock- he didn't even try holding himself together. Shock froze his body. His eyes were unable to pull away from the scene. The Sea Prince was talking to a human.

No, not talking. _Singing._

"Where would we walk, where would we run…"

Rachel closed the crab's mouth, smiling through her beak.

"If we could say all day in the sun?" The ball of fire broke over the horizon, exposing the group to fresh sunlight. The morning air welcomed dawn into the world.

Calypso looked down in the water. "I'm not sticking around to risk getting spotted," she said in a low tone. "Stay if you want. I'm waiting underwater."

Jason and Nico exchanged looks. Jason shook his head before Nico could ask anything of the comment. The message was clear: _Not now._

Nico looked at Percy for a brief moment, then nodded his head, submerging himself in the water. Jason soon followed.

The warmth of the rays gathered on Annabeth's face. She widened her mouth and relaxed, breathing deeper. She cracked her eyes open, her head still pounding slightly from the blast the previous night.

"Just you and me…" She tried focusing on the voice she was hearing. She felt a hand on her face and reached up, holding onto it like a lifeline. "And I could be…" A blurry outline lingered above her. "Part of your world."

She blinked, trying to see through the sunlight. "Ugh," she groaned. Her insides felt like they had been thrown under a wagon and tossed into the palace forge.

"Thank the gods you're okay," the voice said. "I though for sure you were a goner, but I-"

A loud bark cut him off.

Percy froze. Behind him, the rest of his friends disappeared in the sea. Rachel flew off. "Uh…" Percy spotted the bronze animal from the party the night before. He smiled at Annabeth, giving a nervous laugh. "Gotta go. Bye."

He shifted his weight and got back into the water.

"Wait," Annabeth coughed. She sat up abruptly, trying to see who had rescued her. "Thank…"

But no one was there.

"You." Her head swam. Voices in the distance shouted, "Annabeth!"

Festus came running up and licked her cheek.

"Annabeth!"

Reyna rushed to her side. Festus moved away and ran into the water, trying to follow Percy. The dog splashed in the surf.

"Gods, you really enjoy these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?" She helped the Princess stand.

"A boy… rescued me." Annabeth's legs wobbled as she tried to take steps forward.

Will came jogging over, huffing. The boy was clearly not used to extensive exercising. "Oh, man… I need to get out more."

"No kidding," Reyna muttered.

Will shot her a look. "Not what I meant."

"He- he was singing." Annabeth looked around, her eyes still very hazy.

"What's she talking about?" Will whispered to Reyna.

Reyna waved Will away as Annabeth continued. "He had the most beautiful voice. A little annoying, but it was some…" Her eyes started to roll back as the pounding in her head returned. She started falling.

Her friends caught her. "Ah," Will felt her forehead. "Annabeth, I think you've swallowed a bit too much seawater."

"But I-"

"Or maybe the explosion rattled your brain more than we thought," Reyna said.

"Ok, off we go then. Come along, Festus. Nothing out in the ocean for you to see." Will motioned for the dog to follow them.

Festus, along with Annabeth, gave the water one last look before turning around to leave.

Percy watched the scene unfold from the shadow of a rock a little ways off the beach. Chiron was resting next to him on the boulder. Grover floated in the water with the other teens.

"We're just going to forget this ever happened," Chiron told them. "The Sea King will never know." The crab knew that chaos would erupt if Poseidon ever learned about the incident. There was no way he could smooth this one over. Not in millenia.

"You will _not_ tell him," he pointed at his pupils with his staff. "We'll just go back to the palace and pretend nothing happened. Take the rest of the day off. Get some rest. Tomorrow we will pick back up with your training." They nodded before submerging once again, going home after a long, exhausting night out. "I won't tell him," Chiron assured himself. Then, under his breath, "I will stay in one piece."

Percy moved the second he saw the humans disappear.

He got on top of the rock and gave a longing look at the beach. "I don't know when," he whispered. "I don't know how." The wind returned and blew through his black locks. He tried to hold onto the feeling of the fresh air on his skin, not knowing when he'd get another chance to experience it. "But I know something's starting right now," the power from earlier returned to his voice- the determination to break away from the water. From his responsibilities. From the hold of his father.

His desire to be himself. To be human.

"Watch and you'll see- someday I'll be… part of your, world."

And as he sat on that rock, the ocean spraying water around him and the sun rising higher into the sky, a pair of bright yellow eyes witnessed every second of the boy's motions.

Kronos was doing his job of keeping tabs on the Prince. And he was doing it well.

In her skeletal cave, Gaea cackled to herself. "Oh, no, no, no, no." She watched her floating bubble display Percy above the water.

"I can't stand it- it's too easy!" She pounded her fist against her cauldron, laughing. She stretched back and leaned into her large chair. "The child is in love with a human!"

She rested her chin in her palm, swishing her tentacles through the water in an almost merry way. Her smile was something that would make the strongest creatures retreat to the depths of the ocean. "An not just any human… A _Princess_!"

Gaea gave another cackle. "Oh, his father will _love_ that." She clasped her fingers together, holding her hands by her face. "King Poseidon's headstrong, love-sick son would make a charming addition to my little garden…" She peered over at a section of her cave that served as the home to several dozen small creatures. Each one gave small cries of despair, wiggling their thin brown bodies, trying to break free of the Sea Witch's curse.

They could only watch in horror as Gaea continued to laugh in a deranged manner, her voice echoing off the skeleton of the beast she was inside of.

* * *

Piper repeatedly tapped her foot on the tile floor. Leo paced the main hall back and forth with such ferocity that she was worried he would burn a hole in the ground.

They had been up all night looking for Annabeth, and when it got closer to dawn, made the difficult decision to return to the palace.

Hedge and Hazel had gotten back right before them. Piper tried not to make eye contact with the Coach. She didn't want to hear it from him any more than she already had. "I knew this was a bad idea- I should have been there! You kids can't take care of yourselves… what was I thinking?"

Leo's muttering wasn't helping her mood.

He ran his hands through his hair, saying, "It's all my fault. I should have told her about the storm sooner. I should have told her about Festus. If I had maybe we wouldn't be in this mess…" The bronze animal wasn't anywhere to be seen, either. Piper had the sinking feeling Leo would be a little more held together if he knew where his prized creation was. But there was no luck throughout the night.

She sank deeper into her chair and rubbed her tired face, sending a quick prayer to the gods that Annabeth was okay. Somewhere.

The front doors abruptly opened, startling the hall's occupants.

Will and Reyna emerged from the other side, closely followed by a number of palace guards. Between the two teens was a half conscious Princess Annabeth Chase.

"Annabeth!" Piper and Hazel jumped up and rushed to her.

"Woah!" Will held a hand out to them. "Slow down- she needs her space. I need to get her to the infirmary-"

Festus ran inside in his dog form, nearly knocking the party down.

Leo could only sink to his knees as the animal jumped onto him. "Festus…"

"Oh, yes. The dog." Reyna let Hedge take her position at Annabeth's side. "Tell me, Valdez, what exactly were you thinking when you decided to give him his 'special features'?"

He gave the most nervous laugh Piper had ever heard from him. And she'd know him for _years_. The two had been through nearly every situation together. But the boy looked about as squashed flat as a sword in the palace forge.

"Um… emergency self-defense mode?"

Reyna took a step toward him.

He held up his hands. "Look, I tried to tell her- I swear to the gods, I did _not_ want this to happen."

"It's not all bad."

All eyes turned to Annabeth.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure I saw proof. There's definitely someone out there that has answers."

Will looked Reyna dead in the eyes. "She's doing it again."

"Doing what?" Hedge squinted at her. "What're you babblin' about?"

"Mermaids." She started walking forward, as if in a trance. "Someone saved me, but I didn't get the chance to see who. I blinked and they were gone. Nothing but the ocean. No footprints or- anything."

"Mermaids?" Hazel exchanged glances with Piper. "Um, I thought you didn't know about them until yesterday."

Will gave her a look over the Princess' shoulder: _Why are you encouraging this?_

"I did some reading in the library before we left- it actually makes sense." Annabeth's eyes lit up. "It makes perfect sense!"

Will grabbed both her shoulders. "Ok- no. Annabeth, we're just gonna take the rest of the day as easy as possible and get you looked at just to make sure everything is okay."

"But, Will, I could show you exactly on the World Map on the wall in the Study-"

"Annabeth, I'd love to come to an agreement with you, but right now we really must get you to the infirmary. You need to be examined properly." He guided her down the hall.

Hedge dismissed the guards back to their stations outside. "When you're done with bed rest, we need to have a long talk."

"Over dinner, perhaps?" Piper asked, hoping to delay the chastising.

The Coach grunted. "Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night."

"Um-" Leo stood back up, following the group. "Hold on. At least tell me where you found Festus."

The dog trotted along behind the humans, who were oblivious to the fact that the animal was the only one who bare witness to the Princess' rescuer. The Prince of Atlantica.

* * *

 **Haha! Done :D**

 **I almost put that last part in the next chapter, but I figured I should give you guys some more story since I've been off for a while. I really hope you all like what I'm doing with these two franchises- I'm so proud of it :)**

 **Follow, favorite, and review, por favor.**

 **See you next time.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello :)**

 **I'm hoping to get a lot moving for the other characters soon. There's a lot going on besides Percy's hopes of being human.**

 **Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 8

The sun seemed to reach further into the sea the next morning. The training arena at the palace was bathed in a light it hadn't seen in months.

Chiron took advantage of the calm waters. He ordered his students to wake up early to swim to a clearing away from the palace. They would spend the day training in nature and strengthening their skills, far from distractions and worries.

King Poseidon hovered at the side, discussing the day's agenda with the crab. Tyson, Ella, and Mellie floated by the exit, waiting to see the warriors off. Jason, Nico, and Frank had come into the open area after putting their armor on in the mermen's changing room. They started gathering supplies and weapons to ready for transport.

Thalia emerged from the mermaid's changing room and picked up her spear.

She looked around. "Where's Percy?"

"He's still 'changing'" Nico used his fingers to make quotes. "I don't know why it takes so long to put armor on."

"And Calypso? She came out early- I didn't see where she went."

Frank shrugged. "She said something like, 'I need to clear my head before we start training. I need to be at my top game.' Left to go to her thinking spot."

Thalia nodded before sending another skeptical look at the mermen's changing room entrance.

"Percy, bro," Jason called through the kelp curtain. "It's time to come out. You've been in there all morning!"

Percy swam out with a blissful smile on his face, humming to himself. He swam past a polished shield on his way to the exit, stopping briefly to check his reflection, straightening his armor and adjusting the sword on his hip.

"What is with him lately?" Mellie muttered to Tyson and Ella. The two shrugged.

The warriors exchanged worried glances.

Percy turned to leave and swam right into his father. "Oh!" He gave his father a pat on the shoulder. "Morning, Dad."

"Well- er, morning, Percy."

Percy continued his merry tune as he left the arena with a bag full of training equipment, swimming ahead of the group to the clearing.

"He has got it bad," Ella said as she watched the merman swim away.

"What?" The King grew confused. "What has he got?"

"Isn't it obvious, Daddy?" Tyson grinned at his disappearing brother. "Percy's in love."

Poseidon looked at the kelp curtain his eldest son had come through. "Percy? In love?"

* * *

The sun was bright. The sea was calm.

And Leo was aggravated.

It had been two weeks since his last idea had struck him, and the fact that he couldn't currently think of anything to create was driving him crazy. (Well, crazier than he normally was.) The shipwreck that happened two nights before wasn't helping.

There was always the Archimedes sphere that he liked to tinker with. He could test the new hammer his sister, Nyssa, had gotten him. Or he could go into the village and talk to the local blacksmiths.

But none of his options seemed exciting.

He wanted something different to work on. Something that would test his brain in new ways.

He let out an annoyed groan as he walked along the beach with Festus. The only thing he could fathom doing was sitting in his thinking spot- a large, flat rock that stuck out of the water a few yards offshore. It was where he'd come up with some of the greatest inventions he'd ever created: the enhanced spyglass, Festus, those clear things that you could put over your eyes to help you see better… he was still thinking of a name for those.

He'd gotten up early and followed the back pathways of the palace to a stretch of private beach. It was rare when he found others around to bother him- the others knew where his spot was, of course. (Between Reyna and Gleeson Hedge, he was lucky to bathe without being harassed about his whereabouts.) But mornings like this, with the sun on his face and the sea breeze wrapping around his body, there was no place he'd rather be. Even if it was a palace with overbearing security.

Festus gave a sudden bark and sprinted ahead of the boy. "There's no hurry, buddy," Leo said. "We got a few hours before we have to get back… and you can't rush perfec-" He looked ahead, out toward the sea, a noise cutting through his words, "-tion."

It was soft, melodic. It filled him with a warm sensation that made his heart throb. Like warm soup on a cold winter day.

Someone was singing. And it was definitely _not_ a guy.

Leo jogged to catch up with Festus, his head turning in every direction to spot the source of the music. And after a few minutes, in which he probably looked like a confused zombie running around in circles, his eyes finally landed on a figure sitting on a rock. _His_ thinking rock.

Annoyance flooded back into him. He had come all the way out here, back through the dirt roads and rough beaches, only to have someone else take his spot. Which he _really_ needed to get his creative juices flowing.

Festus jumped into the water and splashed around, attempting to wade towards the boulder. "C'mon, Festus! Don't do that!" Leo scolded. "You'll get all rusty again." He stormed up to the edge of the surf, almost faltering as he notice the girl who had taken his place.

Her caramel hair was draped over one of her shoulders. From what he could see, she held a strange instrument in her hands- an altered version of the lyre, maybe. Leo tried very hard to ignore the fact that her back was practically bare, which was _not_ standard dress code at the palace.

He balled his fists, anger still rising inside of him. "Hey, lady!" he yelled. She stopped and turned to look at him. "Get off my rock!"

The girl just rolled her eyes and continued messing with the instrument. Leo scoffed and waded into the water.

"Did you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Look, I don't know how you got all the way out here behind the castle, but this is _my_ thinking spot, okay? Now, if you would kindly just _leave_ , it would be much appreciated."

Still nothing.

"Okay, fine. Will you _please_ get off my rock? I'm having a rough morning, and I…" This time Leo did falter.

The girl turned around. Her eyes were like almonds- curved and brown. Her milky skin seemed to glow in the sun. And the bottom part of her body, from the waist down, was a fishtail, with bright scarlet-colored scales. A giant fin protruded where her feet should have been. A pair of seashells of matching red covered her chest.

Leo's eyes widened as he tried to take in the fact that this girl was _not_ human. His mouth hung open, and he found himself unable to close it. He looked at Festus, who merely looked back, giving a happy bark.

The mechanic's brain slowly started working again. "Uh… um… you…" he struggled to get the words out. "You're a mermaid."

"Well… yes." She may as well have said, _You're the dumbest person on the planet_. "And you're a human."

Leo tried to get his brain working faster. "I… yes I am. But…" he shook his head. Everything Annabeth had told him the day before came flooding back. He felt as if he'd received a slap in the face. "You're real," he breathed.

The girl smiled. She seemed to be about the same age as him, fifteen or so. Just, you know, a different species. "Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess… But, aren't you supposed to stay in the water?" As much as curiosity held him, a part of Leo hoped that bringing up the question would make the mermaid leave.

She only laughed. "I thought the description your kind gives us is 'being half human and half fish.' Is it not?"

"Uh…"

"So therefore, no, I don't have to stay in the water." She said it like she'd just won an argument. Arrogant and superior.

Leo's eye twitched. _Who does this girl think she is, making me sound like an idiot?_ Leo fumed. "Okay. Then… why my rock?"

She set her instrument down and crossed her arms. "I do not see a name carved on it, claiming that it is yours."

Leo scoffed again. He moved closer to the rock, his emotions building. "You don't have to have your name on it! Look, you seem like a very… well, I don't know if nice is the word. But, if you could find any kindness in your weird little mermaid heart to leave me in peace and carry on with," he motioned toward the instrument, "whatever this is, then that would be lovely. And if you don't, well, let's just say that I know people. _Big_ people. And-"

In a flash, the mermaid pulled something out from behind her and pressed it against his neck. It took him a second to realize that it was a dagger. "Is that a threat, human?" Her tone reminded him of Reyna- deadly serious.

He hesitated before answering. "... Maybe."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you know what this is?" She gestured toward the blade with her eyes. Leo shook his head as much as room would allow. "This dagger is made of celestial bronze, mined from the depths of the ocean and forged by the heat of an undersea volcano. Only the royal army has access to such power, and you do _not_ want to pick a fight with this soldier."

Leo was speechless. _Celestial bronze_ …

It was rumored that the metal had magical properties. It was rare to find on land nowadays. So much of it had been dug out centuries ago that only the forges had access to it now. That's how he'd made Festus. (With the help of a few other metals, which caused his irritating rusting abilities.) If he could get more of that celestial bronze…

He held his hands up. "Okay, I'm sorry to have angered you, miss, um…"

"Calypso."

"Calypso. But I have come up with a peace offering. I let you do whatever you want here, keep this whole thing a secret, as long as _you_ get me some more of that celestial bronze. I'm sure you have plenty of it down there, don't you?"

Calypso slowly lowered her dagger. She obviously didn't want word getting around that a mermaid was on palace grounds. "Is that another threat?"

Leo smiled. "Like I said. Peace offering."

She scowled. Reluctantly, she held her hand out. "Fine. You have yourself a deal, mister…"

"Valdez. Leo Valdez."

She lifted her head up, as if trying to look down on him. "You have a deal, Leo Valdez." He shook her hand. She quickly let go. "But do not think that I've forgiven you for disturbing my peace. This is my thinking spot, too, after all."

And just like that, she dove down into the waves and disappeared.

* * *

 **Yesss- the start of Caleo is so precious :D**

 **You guys better get ready- Under the Sea is up next, and I think certain teenagers are ready to stretch their vocal cords.**

 **Review, Favorite, and Follow**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so excited for this chapterrrrrrrr. I had to change a lot of dialogue from the original movie near the end here, but I think it turned out pretty well.**

 **Enjoy XD**

* * *

Chapter 9

The clearing Chiron had the teens training on was truly amazing.

It lay in the middle of flourishing coral reefs, perfectly placed away from the busy movement of Atlantica. Fish swam in and out of sight, keeping close to the rocks to avoid the teens with weapons.

They had positioned several targets for practice with projectiles, drawn lines in the sand to work on hand-to-hand combat, and assembled a makeshift table to talk battle strategy.

The warriors were currently taking a break, lounging around on the closer rocks.

Chiron nervously scuffled underneath the one Percy lay on. While he _had_ been guiding the teens in combat, his mind kept traveling other places.

The comments Tyson and Ella had made earlier that morning had worried him. King Poseidon had to know now. He wasn't stupid. But Chiron was sure there wasn't any speculation of humans. At least, not yet…

He took a deep breath, laying the situation out before him. "Ok, so far, so good." He kept his pace on the rock even and straight. "I don't think the King knows…" A petal from a piece of- what was it? A lily, maybe? Chiron didn't care enough to pay attention- floated down onto his face. He shoved it away, still filled with fear. "But it will not be easy keeping something like this a secret for long…"

Petals continued to fall. Above him on the rock, Percy plucked joyfully at an undersea flower. He rested his chin in the hand that wasn't preoccupied with dismantling the plant. His green eyes were slightly glazed over with far-away thoughts.

He pulled another petal off. "She loves me…" He muttered quietly. Then he plucked another petal. "She loves me not…" He reached the last petal. He pulled it and held it up to his face. "She loves me."

The childhood game carried more in his soul. He felt something with this piece of plant- something greater than hope and belief. Something like… fate.

Percy blinked. "I knew it!" It came out louder than he intended. His friends turned to look at him. He gave an embarrassed laugh.

Chiron pushed himself up in the water with his staff. "Perseus, stop talking crazy nonsense."

"But I need to see her again… Tonight. Rachel knows where she lives." Percy got up from the rock. He moved to grab his things.

Chiron pulled on his tail. "Percy, please. Will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs? There's a lot to be-"

"I can swim up to her castle… and then Grover can splash around to get her attention, and then-"

"Percy." Thalia suddenly hovered in front of him. "Could we have _one_ day of normal?"

"I'd like that," Nico raised his hand from the side.

Percy huffed. "Look, I know it's hard for you guys to understand-"

"Is it?" Calypso sat up. "Some of us wouldn't mind change, either."

"But this could be my only shot at-"

"Down here is your home," Chiron said sternly. "Percy, listen to me. The human world-"

"Is just a mess," Jason cut Chiron off. "Percy, don't you want to relax for the day?" Jason smiled, holding out his arms. "Life under the sea… it's better than anything they've got up there."

Percy gave an eye roll. He sat back down. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there," Jason pointed up at the surface.

"Which is a big mistake," Chiron muttered.

"Just look at the world around you," Jason grabbed Percy's shoulders and spun him around, "right here on the ocean floor." He held his hands out to gesture at schools of fish swimming by. "Such wonderful things around you," He turned Percy back around. "What more are you looking for?"

He fell backwards in the water, floating on his back. "Under the sea."

He drifted towards his sister. "Under the sea." He nudged her with his elbow, prompting her to join his song.

She sighed. "Darling, it's better-"

"Down where it's wetter-"

"Take it from me," they sang in unison. They swam around Percy in a circle, creating dozens and dozens of bubbles.

Jason stopped at the Prince's left shoulder. "Up on the shore they work all day-"

Thalia popped up on the other side. "Out in the sun they slave away."

Jason pulled away. "While we're devoting full time to floating-"

The siblings looked at each other. "Under the sea!" They pulled up their practice targets from earlier, turning them on their sides like drums.

Calypso smiled. She swam to a pair of lobsters on the reef and whispered to them. They swam over to the targets and began playing them like instruments. Calypso picked up her lyre and started strumming, taking advantage of the extended training break.

"Down here all the fish are happy," Jason and Thalia sang.

"As off through the waves they roll." Jason watched a dolphin create bubbles above the group. Half a dozen fish followed behind it, chasing the pockets of air.

"The fish on the land ain't happy," Thalia joined her brother's singing again. They watched a fish get stuck in a bubble.

"They're sad 'cause they're in the bowl," Jason continued. The bubble floated down. "But fish in the bowl are lucky." He leaned towards Percy and whispered, "They're in for a worser fate."

Jason approached the fish. "One day when the boss gets hungry-" he popped the bubble, freeing the fish.

"Guess who's got me on the plate?" the fish sang.

"Oh, no," Jason swam around the clearing, "Under the sea." He eyed a herd of seahorses. He gestured for them to follow him. "Under the sea." He swam back to Percy. The seahorses encircled the Prince. "No one to beat us, fry us, and eat us in fricassee."

They danced merrily around Percy, making him smile. "Ok, I guess, but-"

Chiron hit Percy's arm with his staff. He didn't need to speak to send his message: _Be quiet._

Jason continued his singing. "We're what the land folks love to cook, under the sea we're off the hook." He picked up a tangled mess of fish hooks half buried in the sand. He tossed them onto barren rocks, away from the sea creatures. "We've got no troubles, life is the bubbles under the sea!"

"Under the sea," Calypso and Thalia sang.

"Under the sea!"

"Under the sea."

"Since life is sweet here, we've got the beat here, naturally."

"Naturally." More and more fish started gathering as the music grew louder. The once empty clearing soon filled up with nearly every type of sea creature.

Jason grinned at the sight. The ocean truly wasn't as bad as Percy made it to be. If you took out the restricting father and heroic training, it was a magnificent place to be.

Nico raised an eyebrow as a pair of creatures swam by. "Wow," he said. "Even the sturgeon and the ray?"

Jason swam next to him, laughing. "They get the urge and start to play." The two animals picked up pieces of coral and used them to join the music. "We got the spirit," Jason nudged Nico with a smile, "You got to hear it, under the sea."

The lobsters continued to bang on the training equipment. Percy leaned back as he watched the water fill with animals and instruments. The music filled his ears, his body, his soul. But his heart remained somewhere else.

The others didn't seem to notice. Jason continued with his song. "The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp, the plaice play the bass-"

"And they're shouldin' sharp," the others chimed in.

"The bass play the brass," Thalia sang.

Calypso smiled. "The chub play the tub-"

"The fluke is the duke of soul," they sang together.

"The ray, he can play," Jason sang, "the ling's on the strings- the trout's rocking out, the blackfish, she sings-"

"The smelt and the sprat," Frank chimed in.

"They know where it's at," Jason continued, "And oh-"

"-that blowfish blow," Nico finished.

"Now you've got it!" Jason threw his arms in the air.

Two new fish appeared at the far end of the clearing.

Grover and Juniper weaved between the dancing sea creatures as the music continued. Grover grabbed Junipers fin, pointing ahead. "There!"

They swam to Percy, who still sat on his rock. The merman looked up, surprised. Grover whispered something in his ear. Percy looked between the two fish before glancing at Chiron. The crab was distracted by the musical number his friends were putting on for him.

Percy grinned. He got up and followed the fish out of the clearing. They moved in the direction of the cave.

No one noticed him leave. Jason was wrapped up in the excitement.

"Yeah- Under the sea!"

"Under the sea," the others sang.

"Under the sea."

"Under the sea."

Frank followed a school of fish around the clearing. "When the sardine begin the beguine-"

"It's music to me," Jason sang with him before going solo again, "What do they got?"

"A lot of sand!" everyone sang.

"We've got a hot-"

"Crustacean band!"

"Each little clam here knows how to jam here," Nico sang.

"Under the sea!" the clearing sang.

Calypso spun around with her lyre. "Each little slug here's cutting a rug here."

"Under the sea!"

"Each little snail here, knows how to wail here," Frank sang.

Thalia continued, "That's why it's hotter under the water."

"Yeah we're in luck here, down in the muck here," Jason stretched his arms up in the water.

"Under the sea!"

Each creature moved toward the rock Percy had been sitting on. The teens reached out toward him, heaving from holding out the last note.

Everyone froze.

Chiron scuttled to the top of the rock. "Percy?"

The sea creatures sighed. They slowly turned around, swimming off to the coral reefs.

"Oh," Chiron rubbed his forehead. "Somebody's got to nail that boy's fins to the floor."

Jason looked around, the Prince nowhere in sight. "But my song…"

"Chiron!"

The group whipped around.

Mellie appeared at the top of the nearest shelf.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Mellie…?"

The mermaid gave a few deep breaths. "Chiron- I've been looking everywhere for you- the King didn't tell me exactly _where_ you guys were training, so it took me a while-"

"Mellie," Chiron hefted his staff, "What is it? Why do you need me?"

"Oh, yes." She straightened up. "I've got an urgent message from the Sea King."

Chiron felt himself shrink to the size of a hermit crab. "The Sea King?"

"Yes- he'd like you to come back as soon as you can. He needs to speak with you. It's about Percy."

Chiron gasped. He looked at the warriors with wide eyes. "He knows."

* * *

The feel in the throne room had changed drastically since the last time Poseidon spoke to Chiron.

The King sat on his throne with his chin in his hand like he had days ago, but now sprouted a grin, thinking to himself.

"Hm, let's see now…" he spoke aloud. "Who could the lucky mermaid be?" He tapped his fingers against his face. "Calypso, maybe? No, that's definitely a one-way-"

A noise broke his thoughts. Poseidon looked up and spotted Chiron at the entrance to the chamber. He gave a small cough. "Er… Come in, Chiron."

The crab took a deep breath.

"I must not overreact," he spoke softly to himself. "I must remain calm."

He crawled over to the King, stopping before the throne. He cleared his throat. "Yes, your majesty?"

"Chiron, I'm concerned about Percy."

"More so than usual, sire?"

Poseidon ran his hand along his trident. Chiron looked away from the sharp points. "Have you noticed he's been acting peculiar the past two days?"

Chiron tried to act confused. "Peculiar?"

"You know, mumbling about- daydreaming. Singing to himself?" He raised an eyebrow. "You haven't noticed?"

Chiron started to break out in a sweat. He hated lying to the King. But there was more at stake than just hurt feelings. The entire kingdom was tethering on a small rock, ready to fall over at any moment. "Well, I suppose I… um-"

"Chiron?" Poseidon motioned for him to swim up to his face. "I know you've been keeping something from me."

Chiron gulped, swimming higher. "Keeping something, sire?" He tried for a friendly smile. It quickly faltered.

"You know, Tyson said the most interesting thing before you left on your outing this morning- about Percy, that is."

The crab's legs began to shake with nervousness. "Percy?"

Poseidon smiled. After thinking it over all day, he was finally going to find out who was making his son so happy. "Being in love?"

The pressure was too much. His long history of loyalty to the royal family finally came crashing down on him. "Sire, I tried to stop him, I swear." Chiron bowed his head down, drifting onto the throne's armrest in defeat. "He wouldn't listen! No matter what I tried or what the others said, he didn't listen! I told him to stay away from humans. They are bad, dangerous-"

Poseidon looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "Humans?" His trident started to glow with outrage. He bolted out of his throne. " _What about humans?!"_

Chiron gripped his staff, the heat from the trident growing dangerously closer to his shell. "Humans?"

 _Oh no._

He tried to shake it off with a laugh. "Who said anything about humans?"

Poseidon grabbed the crab in his fist. "Tell me _everything_."

* * *

 **Yay! Another chapter done :) Big thanks to those who are still sticking with this story even though I'm being slow with it. I love you guys!**

 **I might not update for a while because I'm deciding on how to break up the next few chapters, so you can't say I didn't warn you.**

 **Also please tell me if I made any editing errors- I proof read all my chapters but this one was kinda tricky. I just want to give you all the best quality that I can.**

 **As always, Favorite, Follow, and Review**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh my gods- chapter 10! I can't believe I'm here! Fair warning- this chapter is VERY long. Like, 15 pages in an actual document long. Sorry, not sorry. But I'm sure you guys will appreciate it since I've been off for so long.**

 **Like I've said before, I promise I will not forget about this story. It is so important to me- once you see how much I start releasing I hope you guys will understand.**

 **Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 10

The cave was even farther from Atlantica than the clearing, nearly doubling the distance from the kingdom.

The merman swam away from the music, following the two fish to the blocked entrance. "Grover," Percy said as they opened it up. "Why can't you just tell me what this is about?"

"You'll see," the fish replied.

Juniper glanced back. "It's a surprise."

They appeared inside the underwater grotto. "Oh…" Percy found himself speechless.

Placed in the middle of the sandy floor was the stone statue of Princess Annabeth from the shipwreck.

Percy gripped one of the stone ledges. "Grover- Juniper." He pulled both fish into a hug. "You guys are the best!"

He swam up to the statue. He gently touched the shield at Annabeth's side. "Wow… how did you-"

"Yesterday," Grover said. "You hung out with Tyson all day, telling him about the shark incident. I figured we could go look for it while you were distracted."

"We managed to convince Frank and Jason to help move it," Juniper said. "Though, they seemed a bit worried about it."

Percy grinned as he circled the art. "It looks just like her… it even has her eyes." He stopped at the front again. He thought about the petal from earlier- the surge of hope he'd gotten from it. "You were right, Annabeth," he said to himself. "It does seem like the serious side you, doesn't it?"

He placed his hand over her stone one holding the scepter, darkness dimming his eyes. "If only we could run away together…"

Percy looked at Grover, smiling. "Would it be too soon if I tried to see her again tonight?" He gave a laugh.

He turned around to leave, thinking that his absence would have been noticed by the others.

Then his body froze.

He slowly looked up in horror as he gazed upon his father. His limbs felt like boulders, rigid and heavy. His brain spun into overdrive, trying to comprehend what he was seeing in front of him.

"Father…" His mouth tasted stale.

Grover pushed Juniper behind a rock, the two of them peeking over to watch the interaction.

Chiron stood guiltily at the King's fin.

"I consider myself a reasonable merman," Poseidon said in a terrifyingly low voice. He moved toward his son. "I set certain rules," his voice rose quickly, "and I expect those rules to be _obeyed_."

"But, Dad, I-"

"Is it true?" He glared down at Percy. "You rescued a human from drowning?"

"Father, I had to."

"Contact between the human world and the merworld is strictly forbidden. Percy, you know that!" he threw his arms out, his trident swinging dangerously close to a vase. "Everyone knows that!"

"She would have died!"

"One less human to worry about." Poseidon turned his back to Percy, as if he would start leading the Prince home.

Percy looked at his father's back, his eyes suddenly bold with determination. He rested one of his hands atop Annabeth's head. "You don't even know her."

Poseidon looked back over his shoulder. "Know her?" He faced Percy again, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "I don't have to know her! They're all the same!" Percy started slinking around the statue. "Spineless, savage, harpooning fish-eaters. Incapable of any feeling-"

"But, Father, I love her!" The words came out before he could stop them. Percy gasped before ducking behind the statue completely.

Behind the father and son pair, Chiron, Grover, and Juniper stared in shock. Chiron held a claw up to his gaping mouth.

"No…" Poseidon stared at a spot on the grotto wall, trying to register what he'd heard his son say. "Have you lost your senses completely?"

He pointed at Percy as if he were still a small child. "She's a human- you're a merman!"

"I don't care," Percy spoke out.

"So help me, Perseus, I am going to get through to you!" He clenched his trident in both fists. Percy slowly looked up, fear finding itself in his eyes once again. "And if this is the only way…" The trident started to glow.

Poseidon looked down at his son one last time. "So be it."

"Go, now," Grover whispered to Juniper. She got out just as the King blasted a glass globe a few feet above her hiding spot. It shattered across the rocks.

"Father!" Percy jumped out from behind the statue. He gazed at the shiny pieces. "No. No, please-"

Poseidon turned to the candelabra with the dinglehopper. In less than a second, it witnessed the same fate as the globe. Chiron and Grover ducked out of the cave.

"Dad, stop!"

He shot a beam of light across a row of mirrors and frames. Debris shot around the cavern, knocking over the music statue and cases of knick-knacks. The blasts didn't end.

"Dad, stop it!" Percy covered his ears. The bursts of energy were pounding his ears. He tried to take in deep breaths, but failed miserably.

Poseidon looked around the cave, locking onto one last target.

Percy used this chance to throw himself on his father. He clung to his arm, knowing what was coming. "Father-" Poseidon raised his trident, "-NO!"

His dad's fury shot through the water, exploding the statue of Princess Annabeth Chase from the inside out.

Percy covered his eyes from the light. He floated in place, waiting for something else. Anything else.

He slowly lowered his hands and looked at the empty rock in the middle of the cavern.

He shook his head, sinking down to the floor. His chin quivered. He couldn't even think right. He tried forming words in his mouth. He tried to stop the tears forming in his eyes. He tried to control his emotions.

He fell forward onto the rock and buried his face in his arms. His body shook violently from the sobs. He could only grasp one thought in his head: everything was gone.

Poseidon turned away from Percy. He looked down at the sandy floor. The smallest piece of regret stabbed into his heart. He knew it wouldn't leave anytime soon.

The King left the cave, his shadow passing Grover and Chiron on the way out. They made their way back to Percy, exchanging solemn expressions.

Chiron squeezed his staff nervously. "Percy… I-"

"Just… Go away." The words were strained and quiet.

Chiron sighed and walked out of the grotto. Grover looked at his best friend. He rarely saw him break down, and the sight it created…

He turned and swam outside, wiping his own tears with his fins.

Percy sat alone in the cave, his crying echoing off the empty rock walls.

Up high in a crevice, a pair of bright yellow eyes peered down into the water.

Kronos swam out from his hiding spot, taking the opportunity to advance. The Prince seemed unarmed. "Poor child," he said. "Poor, sweet child."

Percy sat up on the rock in surprise. He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"You have a very serious problem…" Kronos started circling him. "If only there was something I could do…" He stopped, looking up as if thinking. "But there is something."

Percy gave a sniff. He followed the eel with his eyes. The creature had to be as long as he was tall, if not longer. He had a faint scar on his face, making him extra menacing. "Who… who are you?"

"Don't be scared. I represent someone who can help you." He circled Percy again, double checking to make sure he had no weapons. "Someone who can make all your dreams come true."

Percy backed up against the rock, reaching for a sword that wasn't there.

"Just imagine- you and your princess. Together, forever."

Percy slowly shook his head. "I… I don't understand."

Kronos smiled. "Gaea… has great powers."

"The Sea Witch? Why that's…" Percy looked at his hands. Gaea was exactly the type of being he was trained to fight. An unpredictable sorceress, connected to dozens of missing merpeople cases. "I couldn't possibly…" He wouldn't go to someone like her for help. "No." He looked up at Kronos. "Get out of here- leave me alone!" He turned away from the eel.

Kronos kept the grin on his face. "Suit yourself." He made to leave the cave, stopping by a piece of the broken statue. "That was only a suggestion." He flicked it with his tail.

It bounced across the floor and landed at Percy's tail.

He looked down at it. By some miracle, Annabeth's entire face has remained intact. He stared at the cold grey eyes. He remembered the warmth they gave to others.

He looked back up. Kronos was almost to the exit.

Percy shut his eyes. _What am I doing?_

"Wait."

Kronos turned around. "Yes?"

* * *

The teenagers could hear the explosion from the clearing.

When Poseidon destroyed the underwater grotto, the sounds ripped through the water. It didn't take long for the warriors to notice the commotion. They exchanged worried expressions.

"That came from the direction of the cave," Jason said.

Frank placed his bow on the nearby rocks. "You don't think Percy…"

They froze. "Chiron."

They dropped everything and swam. They were at the entrance to the cave in fifteen minutes. They found the crab outside. His head hung low in remorse.

Grover swam back and forth in front of Chiron. He gave a sniff. "Poor Percy…"

"I didn't mean to tell…" Chiron rubbed his face. "It was an accident."

Thalia spoke up first. "Chiron…" Her eyes held caution. She didn't want to hear more explosions.

Jason looked around. "I thought Poseidon would be here," he quietly said.

"He was." Grover hovered in the water. "He left about five minutes ago… So did Juniper."

Frank looked at the cave entrance. "You were showing him the statue."

"Well… there isn't a statue anymore…"

They fell silent. The water grew dense with nervousness. What would happen to Atlantica? If the King and the heir to the throne were at odds end, the future certainly couldn't be good.

A shadow passed over the group.

They looked up to see Percy following an eel away from the underwater grotto. "Percy?" Chiron swam toward him. "Where are you going?"

The Prince stayed silent as he continued to swim. Thalia caught up to him. "Percy, what are you doing here," she lowered her voice and spoke in his ear, "with this riffraff?"

Percy looked ahead. "I'm going to see Gaea."

The others gaped. He said it sternly, with purpose. He was serious.

"Percy, no! No- she's a demon," Thalia said.

"She's a monster," Chiron pulled at Percy's fin. "Percy don't you dare do this."

Percy snapped around. He stared down the crab with fierce eyes. He'd already lost everything. They couldn't stop him. "Why don't you go tell my father? You're good at that."

Chiron let go of Percy. "I…" He watched him swim off. He turned to look at the other warriors. They'd left all the equipment at the clearing. They couldn't fight a witch in this state. And it would take too long to go back and grab everything…

They had to follow Percy now. Or they would never see him again. "Come on," Chiron ordered.

The teens exchanged more expressions before nodding their heads.

* * *

They followed Percy and Kronos for hours. The eel took them past the reefs and down the seabed, into a trench. They passed multiple boiling hot volcanic vents, similar to the ones used for Atlantica's forges.

Percy sucked in a breath when he saw the sea monster skeleton. The vents shot bubbles up around it, disorienting the entire structure.

He stopped at the mouth of the creature. He hoped for a brief moment that Kronos would turn around and say this was the wrong trench they were supposed to be in. But the eel only looked back and nodded his head forward. "This way," he said.

Percy prayed to the gods he was making the right decision.

He swam inside. Attached to the inside of the skeleton were dozens of tiny brown creatures. Their frail bodies let out wails, calling to him for help. Percy started drifting away from them, higher in the water, fear finding its way back into his system.

Then one of the creatures leapt up and wrapped around his left wrist. He gave a startled yelped and yanked his hand back. The creature let go.

He floated for a moment, trying to control his heart rate. He tried not to think about the noise. About the place he was in. About his situation. Most of the chaos had to be in his head, right?

"Come in," a voice echoed deep within the skeleton. "Come in, my child."

Percy looked down the pathway. It lead to a larger chamber with hanging sea plants and rock-like-furniture, which included cabinets, a vanity and stool, and a large seat hanging from the ceiling on the other side, shrouded in darkness. Percy pinpointed the voice to the shadowed location far from him.

"We mustn't lurk in doorways," the voice said. Gaea the Sea Witch floated down from her chair, a hand on her hip. "It's rude."

Percy inched closer into the room. He again tried not to think about where he was.

"One might question your upbringing," Gaea continued. She gave a small laugh and swam to her vanity. She sat on the stool. "Now, then," she squirted something into her purple hands, "you're here because you have a thing for this human. This princess." She gave him a look over her shoulder. "Not that I blame you. She is quite beautiful, isn't she? Strong, smart."

She turned back to her mirror. She grabbed something off the surface of her table, pinching red gel out of it. "Well, Angelfish, the solution to your problem is simple." She put the red on her lips, making her look stunningly intimidating. She smiled. "The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself."

Percy was awestruck. She said it so casually, as if it were completely plausible. "You can do that?"

Gaea gave a larger grin. She fixed her shell earrings and necklace. "My dear, sweet child. That's what I do." She turned back and faced him. "It's what I live for." She got up and swam to his side. "To help unfortunate merfolk, like yourself- poor souls with no one else to turn to."

She started floating up toward the ceiling. "I admit that in the past I've been a nasty. They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch." Her voice took on a tone that put Percy on edge- it was soft and soothing, but too powerful. Commanding.

Kronos swam up and circled around her. She ran a hand along the top of his head. "But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways- repented, seen the light, and made a switch. True? Yes."

She waved for Kronos to follow her and floated back down to the floor. "And I fortunately know a little magic- it's a talent that I always have possessed," she opened a cauldron in the middle of the floor. It emitted a red light. The room illuminated a soft pink. "And here lately, please don't laugh, I use it on behalf of the miserable, lonely, and depressed," she leaned towards Kronos, "pathetic."

She faked a sincere frown. "Poor unfortunate souls- in pain, in need." She pulled up two images of merpeople- a mermaid and a merman. "This one longing to be thinner," she pointed at the girl, "that one wants to get the girl," she put a hand next to the boy, "and do I help them?"

She snapped her fingers. The merpeople's appearances changed. They hugged in a happy embrace. "Yes indeed. Those poor unfortunate souls- so sad, so true."

Chiron and the others appeared at the mouth of the skeleton. They stopped for a moment, horrified by the brown creatures and their cries of help. They pushed forward together, but their bodies shook with fear. If only they hadn't left their equipment at the clearing…

"They come flocking to my cauldron crying, 'spells, Gaea, please!' And I help them. Yes I do."

Gaea face flickered. She looked down at the image of the happy couple. Her green eyes turned dark. "Now it's happened once or twice, someone couldn't pay the price, and I'm afraid I had to rake them 'cross the coals." Her voice suddenly became eerie, like the calm before a storm. She waved her hand. The merpeople turned into small frail creatures. Too much like the ones at the entrance to her skeletal cave.

She closed her cauldron. "Yes, I've had the odd complaint." She clasped her hands together under her chin. "But on the whole I've been a saint- to those poor unfortunate souls."

She swam back to Percy. She put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him toward her cauldron. "Now, here's the deal. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days." She held up three purple fingers before releasing his shoulders and opening her cauldron again.

Percy tried not to stare at all her tentacles. It became difficult when one reached up and pulled his chin down. "Now listen, this is important," Gaea said. Glowing yellow spheres moved across the cauldron. "Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get Princess dearest to fall in love with you." The spheres were replaced with a crown. A heart came floated up from the bottom and rested inside the crown. "That is, she's got to kiss you. But not just any kiss." Gaea wagged her finger. The images started glowing brighter. "The kiss of true love."

The others had made their way to the entrance of the large chamber. Grover and Frank were still shaking. What was Percy thinking?

"If she does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human permanently." The cauldron displayed a man walking on two legs. "But, if she doesn't, you'll turn back into a merman." The image abruptly changed to a merman. "And…" The cauldron closed again. Gaea gave a smile that sent chills down Percy's spine. "You'll belong to me."

"No," Jason gasped.

"Percy-" Chiron started.

Thalia covered the crab's mouth. "Do you want to get caught?" she whispered. The crab stilled.

Green eyes met green. "Have we got a deal?"

Percy looked down, getting a sudden thought. "If I become human… I'll never be with my father or brother again."

"That's right." Gaea put a hand under her chin. "But, you'll have your Princess." She laughed and leaned against the cauldron. "Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?"

She turned her whole body to face him. Her tentacles waved in the water like seaweed in a current. "Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment." She swam above Percy and landed on his other side. "You can't get something from nothing, you know."

Percy nearly broke his neck following her movement. "But I don't have any-"

Gaea pressed a tentacle over his mouth. "I'm not asking much. Just a token, really. A trifle. You'll never even miss it." She poked under his chin. "What I want from you, is your voice."

He pulled away. His body suddenly became numb. "My voice?" He rubbed his throat. How could that be possible?

"You've got it, Sweetie. No more talking, singing, zip." She popped the P at the end.

Percy stared at her with unbelieving eyes. "But without my voice, how can I-"

"You have your looks. Your pretty face. And don't underestimate the importance of body language. Ha!" She waved a hand in the water and turned her back on him. She started crawling up a side wall toward her cabinets. "The girls out there don't like a lot of blabber. They think a guy who gossips is a bore."

She pried open the shell-like doors and scanned the contents. She picked up a few glass bottles. "Yes on land it's much preferred for boys not to say a word. After all dear, what is idle prattle for? Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation."

She started tossing objects out left and right. "True ladies try to avoid it when they can." The ingredients tumbled through the water toward the cauldron. They smashed into it with a _poof_ \- white, cloud-like matter came rushing out. Percy covered his mouth with a hand to avoid inhaling it.

"But they dote and swoon and fawn on a man who is withdrawn. It's he who holds his tongue who gets a girl." Gaea swam back down to the cauldron. She smiled ear-to-ear. Percy found himself backing away.

Gaea grabbed an object out of a jar and tossed it into the pot. The room lit up with a red light that pulsed like a heart. She moved towards Percy. "Come on, you poor unfortunate soul! Go ahead," she gestured at the potion, "make your choice."

She made her way back around, waving a hand over the cauldron. "I'm a very busy woman, and I haven't got all day." It turned bright orange. It sent up light that morphed into an image of Annabeth.

Percy almost sighed with relief at the sight of a familiar face- even if was that of girl who had no idea who he was.

"It won't cost much," Gaea continued. She swatted the image away with an evil grin. "Just your voice." She grabbed a blue jellyfish that had been tossed out of her cabinet. She threw it into the pot, turning the glow in the room from marigold to cerulean. "You poor unfortunate soul- it's sad, but true!" Gaea threw her arms out. The cauldron released a small explosion of the clouded liquid.

She zipped to Percy's side and put an arm around his shoulders again. "If you want to cross the bridge my sweet, you've got to pay the toll." She snapped her fingers.

A long golden scroll appeared in front of them. On the top it said, _I hereby grant unto Gaea, the Witch of the Sea, one voice in exchange for…_ The words got smaller and smaller. At the bottom were three bigger words: _For Eternity. Signed,_ with a long line for a signature.

A skeletal squid ink pen vaporized next to Percy.

"Take a gulp and take a breath and go ahead and sign the scroll," Gaea persuaded. She leaned towards Kronos, who hadn't moved far from her side. "Listen, Kronos, now I've got his voice," she whispered.

She spun up into the water and spread her tentacles out in excitement. "The boss is on a roll!" She held out a hand towards Percy. "This poor-" he looked at the pen, "-Un-" it was too late to turn back, "-for-" he grabbed it out of the water, "-tunate," the others at the entrance couldn't believe what they were seeing, "Soul."

Percy signed at the bottom.

The scroll and pen disappeared into Gaea's hands. She stared at him with a wild look- the kind a mad demon has in their eyes after a deal with the innocent.

The cauldron started glowing blue again. Gaea waved her hands over the pot. "Beluga, Sevruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea." A current suddenly started moving the water in the room. It spun around the cauldron in a tight circle. Percy's hair whipped around his head. His body got pushed against the wall. A fog came up from the potion. "Larynxis, glossitis, et max laryngitis, la voce to me!"

Gaea held her arms up. The blue fog turned into giant green hands. She pointed a finger to Percy. The green hands copied her movement. "Now, sing."

Percy stayed frozen for a moment. How could he sing at a time like this? He didn't even know what he would sing- what if he messed up? Picked the wrong melody? Used the wrong notes? Did it matter for the spell?

Then his heart took over his panicked brain. He'd forgotten why he was here. His dreams. His hopes. His love for humans. He's had the same song in his soul all day. The one he'd sung to Annabeth.

He started singing. The tones poured out like the light from the cauldron. He was vulnerable doing this in front of Gaea, but he would do it as long as he'd have to become human.

"Keep singing," she shouted over the maelstrom. The green hands grappled with his body. One latched around his shoulders as the other disappeared down his throat.

His head was thrown back as the hand started coming back up. He felt his voice growing distant. It was as if part of his soul was being detached from his essence.

The hands let go of him. One held a yellow ball of light; his voice continued to echo off the room's walls. The hands retracted with his voice into the necklace around Gaea's neck. It too glowed yellow.

She gripped it in her hands with a wicked smile. She started laughing- not like before, with her fake friendliness. A maniacal laughter that would make any monster cower in fear.

The yellow glow spread to the cauldron. Percy was sucked in by the current to the middle of the cloudy mist. He felt his body burning- every cell seemed to be getting cooked at a thousand degrees.

Chiron jolted up by the entrance. "He won't be able to breathe." He looked at the teenagers for confirmation on this statement. Their faces didn't comfort him.

Then Grover rushed into the room, Jason and Frank on his tail.

Nico covered Calypso's eyes with his hands. "Hey!" she tried to swat them away. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm not letting you- hey!"

Thalia covered Nico's eyes. "She's not the only one with a crush on him."

"That is not what I meant!"

They could barely hear each other over Gaea's spell.

Percy's fin split in two. He could feel his bottom half turning into legs. He kicked at the water with a struggle. He was losing his ability to breathe. He needed to get to the surface before he fully became human. But he was hundreds of feet from fresh air.

He closed his eyes in concentration. The brightness behind his eyelids suddenly disappeared. Two pairs of arms found their way around his shoulders.

He was being propelled through the water. The extreme change in pressure would have killed him if he were fully human. He just needed to last a few more seconds.

Thalia took her hands away from Nico and pulled his down from Calypso's eyes. "Okay- hurry. We can't stay here." She grabbed Chiron. They followed the others out through the open ceiling as Gaea continued to laugh.

For her plan had worked.

Percy Jackson was human.

He burst through the water at the top of the ocean.

It was morning- early morning- orange light came from the sky. He didn't remember night being so short. He took a deep breath.

Land was visible, yet hours away. But the sun would begin shining soon. And he would have his chance at being human.

* * *

 **You guys don't know how many times I had to watch Triton destroy Ariel's hopes and dreams in order to get this chapter right. It was torture D':**

 **But Percy is human now! Yay! We still have a long way to go, but this is great. I'm halfway done with this story!**

 **Follow to get instant updates on new chapters :) Expect another update in about a month.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	11. Chapter 11

**Another new chapter :D So soon? Yes, I pride myself with getting ahead. It's the least I can do.**

 **This chapter is shorter than the last one, but still pretty lengthy. It's an exciting part of the movie, so I won't hold you guys any longer.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Annabeth breathed in the morning air. It smelled much sweeter than inside the castle halls.

Will played the flute on the balcony above her. Annabeth told him she'd rest more if he promised to help her find her rescuer. She was attempting to have him recreate the melody she'd heard two mornings before. But, somehow, no matter how many times she heard it, it wasn't the same.

Leo leaned over the side of the balcony and watched Festus run around in the sand. His eyes seemed distant.

Annabeth didn't want to bother him. The poor guy probably still felt awful about the shipwreck. It wasn't his fault that she was separated. She got herself in that situation on her own. She wanted to comfort the guy, reassure him that everything was fine. But she knew it would be no use- he would realize in time that there was no need to worry.

She sighed. She needed to think to herself. Get a new mindset. Become useful to her friends again. "Hey, Leo. How about I take Festus on a walk? He seems like he wants to get out."

Will stopped playing his flute and looked down with Leo. "By yourself?"

"On my own private beach. That's isolated to the ocean. Come on, Will. You've told me before that the sunlight helps heal you."

Will gripped the edge of the balcony. "... Fine."

She smiled.

"If you're not back in half an hour I'm sending Hedge to find you."

She gave a thumbs up. She gestured at Festus to follow her before starting down the beach. But a million things continued to echo in her brain.

She rubbed her forehead when she got out of the boys' eyesight. "That voice… I can't get it out of my head."

Festus stopped by her side, wagging his tail. He grinned up at her.

Annabeth bent down to pet him. "I've looked everywhere Festus… Where could he be?"

* * *

The sun was well above the horizon when they finally reached the shore.

Jason and Frank propped Percy against a rock. Grover hovered in the water, heaving from the frantic swimming. Thalia popped up a few feet away with Chiron. Nico and Calypso were at her shoulders.

Percy rubbed his eyes in the light. He knees were poking out of the water- they felt cold and exposed. He stared at them.

He slowly lifted his right leg out of the water. His shin also felt cold, but he didn't care. He grinned at his foot and wiggled his toes.

"Oh my gods," Frank said.

Jason slumped against a rock, matching Percy's position. "I can't believe we just did that."

"Should we be out here like this?" Thalia asked. "If we get spotted it could mean trouble."

A voice echoed across the scene. "Well, look at what the catfish dragged in!"

"Spoke too soon."

Rachel Elizabeth Dare laughed as she circled the group in the air. She made a graceful land on Percy's leg, which was now crossed over the other. "Look at you, Percy! There's somethin' different." She scratched her head with her wing. "Don't tell me…"

"Kindly remind me," Chiron whispered. "Who is she?"

"I got it! It's your hairdo, right? You've been using the dinglehopper, right?"

Percy shook his head with a smile.

Nico huffed from the side. He and Thalia exchanged unamused looks.

"No? No- hmm. Well, then, let me see…" She leaned against his foot and looked down at his leg in thought. "New seashells?"

"Seriously?" Nico asked.

"Nah- I'm kiddin'." Percy gave a silent laugh. "No new seashells, got it." The Prince started bouncing his leg. The seagull didn't seem to notice.

"I gotta admit," she continued, "I can't put my foot on it right now." Was she smiling? There was no way she didn't see his legs. "But if I just stand here long enough-"

"He's got legs you blundering-" Jason hit Nico's shoulder. "Ow."

Rachel ruffled her feathers. "Ok, Nico, I'm just having fun. Chill out." She turned to Percy. "How did _this_ happen?" Percy stayed silent, simply giving her a million facial expressions.

"He traded his voice to the Sea Witch and got legs," Chiron explained. "He can't speak."

Rachel waved a dismissive hand. "I knew that."

"Percy's been turned into a human," Grover said. "He's gotta make the Princess fall in love with him. And he's gotta- he's gotta kiss her."

"And he's only got three days," Chiron said.

Percy moved his leg back into the water, forcing Rachel to perch on the rock next to his trainer. He leaned forward and steadied his hands on the rocks. He slowly stood out of the water, his legs shaking like the strings on a lyre.

Nico and Calypso instinctively placed their hands over their eyes. "Perseus!" Calypso chided. "There are others present!"

He glared over in their direction, though they couldn't see him do it.

Thalia gave a nonchalant wave at them. "Ignore their commentary."

He ignored everyone's commentary. He tried taking a step toward the shore, but quickly lost balance and stumbled backward.

SPLASH!

Rachel ruffled her drenched feathers. Grover blinked her spray from his eyes. Percy sat up, a piece of seaweed stuck in his hair. He plucked it out.

Chiron held out his claws. "Just look at him- on legs. On _human_ legs." He rubbed his face. "My nerves are shot… this is a catastrophe! What would his father say? I'll tell you what his father would say- he'd say he's going to fire his right-hand crab, that's what his father would say."

Everyone shrunk back at the crab's panic. Chiron had always been the calm mentor they could count on. But the stressful situation was starting to show itself through him.

Chiron started making his way off his rock. "I'm gonna march myself straight home right now and tell him like I should have done the minute we left that cave."

Percy was the first to recover from the crab's outburst. He found some energy and stood up, scooping Chiron off his feet. He frantically shook his head at him.

Chiron pointed his staff at Percy. "And don't you shake your head at me, young man!" He took a breath. "Maybe there's still time." Percy rolled his eyes. "If we could get that witch to give you back your voice, you could go home with all the others and just be… just be…"

Percy's face dropped. He looked the crab in the eyes. The message was clear- this was his chance to live his dream. He couldn't turn back. If he did, life in Atlantica would never be the same. His father would place new restrictions on him, and he would never leave him alone. Ever again.

"... Just be miserable for the rest of your life…" Chiron rubbed his face again. "All right, all right. I'll try to help you find that Princess."

The Prince grinned. He placed a kiss on the crab's forehead out of happiness before putting him back on the rock.

Chiron sighed. "What a soft shell I'm turning out to be."

Rachel flew onto the sand and turned to her human form. "Now, Percy, I'm telling ya, if you wanna be a human, the first thing you gotta do is dress like one." She walked over to a pile of debris behind some of the rocks.

Percy squinted his eyes. Was that… No way.

"Now, let's see…" Rachel held up a large sheet of fabric. It had been part of the sail of Annabeth's ship that had wrecked a few mornings before.

"Good," Nico said from behind them. "Put some clothes on. My arms are getting tired."

* * *

Further down the beach, Annabeth continued her stroll with Festus.

The dog stopped to sniff the air. She walked right past him, her thoughts lost in the sea.

He grinned, showing off his metallic teeth. He sniffed again. Yes- there was no question about it. He barked and started sprinting ahead.

"Festus?" Annabeth asked. The animal came back to her, jumping at her skirt. "What?" He turned back around and zoomed across the sand. "Huh- Festus!"

She ran after him. Her heels kicked up tiny particles at her ankles. She felt her hair coming loose around her face. "Festus, get back here!"

He didn't listen. He kept running towards the source of the scent. The same one he picked up the morning after the shipwreck.

Percy was standing on the beach, oblivious to the incoming dog. He tightened a piece of rope around his waist. Rachel had made the sail resemble a toga, minus the torn edges and sea salt smell.

Thalia gave a catcall. "You look great, Percy."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "Sensational. There's even a fold big enough for Chiron to fit in."

"Must I hide inside that horrid-" a loud noise cut him off.

Festus came running around the corner, barking loudly at the party.

Grover yelped and dove down in the water. The other teenagers disappeared with him. Rachel turned into a bird and flew up to a spot higher on the rocky cliff.

Chiron gave a startled noise. He scurried toward Percy as the dog got closer. He jumped into the side pocket they created for him.

Percy moved away from Festus. He spotted a large rock jutting out of the sand and climbed on. He motioned for the animal to calm down.

Festus quieted for a split second, jumping up to lick Percy's cheek. The Prince grinned.

"Festus!" Annabeth appeared from the direction the dog had come. He turned on all fours and ran back to her. "Festus!" She spotted him and visibly relaxed. He continued his barking. "Quiet, Festus."

Percy's breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a dove grey dress that was speckled with sand particles. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back with a green ribbon- multiple strands had fallen down to frame her face, which held the same tender look that he'd seen at the party.

"What's gotten into you, boy?" She looked up from the unruly dog. She saw Percy sitting on his rock. "Oh." She straightened up. "Oh, I see." Festus ran back to him.

Percy quickly ran his hands through his hair, trying to tame his usual messiness. His heart was beating against his rib cage like a fish caught in a net.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Annabeth approached him. "I'm sorry if this knucklehead scared you." She reached down to pet the dog. Percy leaned forward on the rock. "He's harmless, really…" her voice faltered as she looked up.

Percy smiled at her. He blinked his green eyes.

"You…" Annabeth pointed a finger at him in thought, "seem very familiar to me." She scanned his face. "Have we met?"

Percy nodded his head yes. Festus gave a happy bark below them.

Annabeth pushed the dog behind her. "We have met." Her face lit up like the sunrise. "I knew it!" She placed her hands over Percy's. "You're the one- the one I've been looking for! What's your name?"

Percy made to say his name. No words left his moving mouth.

He rubbed his throat with one hand and looked down, his face growing solemn.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong? What is it?" Percy patted his throat. "You can't speak?" He shook his head. "Oh." She visibly deflated. "Then you couldn't be who I thought…"

Festus gave a low growl, unsatisfied with this outcome. Percy blew his hair out of his face. If only he had a pen with him…

He was struck with an idea. He tapped Annabeth's shoulder. "What- What is it?" Percy made a movement with his arm to resemble his voice leaving his body. Annabeth rubbed her chin. "You're hurt?"

Percy shook his head. He made more hand gestures to try and get his point across. "No. No… You need help?" Annabeth guessed.

Percy leaned too far over the rock. He lost his balance and almost hit the ground.

"Woah- Woah, careful!" Annabeth grabbed his arms. "Careful, easy." He staggered against her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he hugged her waist.

They froze for a moment, looking at each other.

Annabeth broke the silence. "Gee, you must have really been through something. Don't worry." She got her smile back. "Don't worry," she repeated, "I'll help you. Come on." She began leading him towards the castle, keeping her arm around his shoulders. "You'll be okay."

Percy glanced back at the water. His friends had risen just high enough to see him walking away. Rachel landed in the sand and gave him a thumbs up gesture with her feathers.

Festus gave another bark. It echoed across the beach as the two humans walked together toward safety.

* * *

Human baths had become one of Percy's new favorite things.

The soap smelled like lavender. The bubbles danced around the room like fish in a reef. The warm water wrapped around his body like a blanket.

He blew at a big bubble that floated towards his face. It made a _pop_ as it burst into nothingness.

A man poured more water on his head. "How did I get stuck with bath duty?"

"Annabeth's orders, Coach," a boy spoke. Percy remembered seeing him during the night of the storm. Annabeth had called him Will when they'd returned to the castle. He had seemed pretty skeptical about Percy showing up on their beach, but gave the impression that he didn't want to argue with the Princess.

"He's our guest, now," she'd said. "I'm sure you can make us a nice dinner after we get him comfortable, right, Will?"

Will had obliged. He and another boy from the ship had taken Percy to the bathroom, where he met Gleeson Hedge.

Now, Percy didn't mind the help. He had no idea how to use anything from the human world- outside of the water, that is. But Gleeson Hedge made him nervous- like he would kick him out of the palace and ruin his chances of winning Annabeth's heart.

The man currently crossed his arms. "Shouldn't someone check him? The palace guards haven't moved from their stations, so I could easily figure-"

"Reyna cleared him- he's fine."

The other boy in the room bounced his leg in a chair. Leo had his arms crossed over the back of the seat. "Washed up from a shipwreck, huh? Intriguing."

"I know," Will said. "The poor thing…"

Hedge rolled his eyes.

Will straightened up. "We'll have you feeling better in no time. And I can promise that- I'm the medic." He looked down at a clipboard in his hands. "And also the head of the kitchen staff- healthy foods make a healthy life, right? You are what you eat."

He turned around and almost ran into the sheet Percy had covered himself in. (Or rather, the sheet Rachel had told him to wear like a toga.) It had been hanging on a rack by the tub.

Chiron was still in it. He'd been afraid to move since they'd gotten to the palace. He feared what would happen if the other humans discovered him. Percy seemed to have forgotten that he was in there with them.

"You know what? I'll just…" Will held it up. "I'll just get this washed for you. The laundry is on the way to the kitchen anyway. I'm sure Leo and Hedge can take care of you from here." He shot them each a look. _Screw this up and you'll have heck to pay._

Will walked out and down a long corridor. He reached a courtyard and threw the sheet into a soapy tub. Chiron pinched his eyes shut to avoid getting suds in them.

"What's this, Will?" a boy asked.

"Just wash it, Travis. Please. And don't blow anything up."

"Um, that's my thing," another boy interjected.

Chiron heard Will walking away. Someone grabbed the fabric and started moving it along a grate. He was tossed out of Percy's outfit and thrown into a shirt by the force of the movement.

"Well, you must have at least heard about this, guys," the second boy continued.

"No," a girl said. "Is it another one of your lame jokes, Connor?"

"No one likes insults, Miranda," Connor countered. "But really- Piper said a boy showed up in rags- doesn't speak. _At all_. And suddenly he's the Princess' guest?"

Chiron's shirt was pulled out of the water. It was placed onto a ramp and wrung out.

"Sounds like Annabeth," Travis said.

"Not my idea of a prince," a second girl spoke.

The shirt was picked up again and hung up on a clothesline.

"Well, if Annabeth's looking for a guy, I know a couple of highly available ones right here," Travis said.

The second girl huffed. "Now you're the one with a bad sense of humor."

"C'mon, Katie, I'm only kidding! You know I'd make a terrible king!"

Chiron was pulled away from the group. He looked at his surroundings. He was getting close to a window.

He jumped out of the shirt and landed inside the castle with a thud. He rubbed his head. _Where was he now?_

He gasped as he scanned the room. Throughout it were several pots and pans, forks and knives, plates and bowls.

This was no doubt the kitchen. In fact, it was similar to the one they had in Atlantica. But the food contents that were being prepped were not so similar… Fish, shrimp, squid. And crab.

He repeated the question in his head. _Where was he?_

* * *

 **Oh my gods I'm over halfway done going through this movie and they just met it feels like this is gonna take forever but it's so goooood!**

 **And I just had to include the other campers at some point :) I hope you guys like what I did. And if you miss one I didn't include, hold your horses- there's a lot of story to go. Mentions will be written in future chapters.**

 **Please let me know what you think! Follow to get emails whenever I update ;)**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Le Poissons XD XD Ah man, writing this was great. There's a lot of dialogue that I'm proud of. Hopefully, you guys will like what I inserted.**

 **Also, I again apologize for being gone for a few months... but life happens. And it prevents you from working on fanfics. That's all I can say :(**

 **I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 12

Annabeth dressed in a pink gown for dinner, her hair free-falling over her shoulders. She tried her hardest to avoid the extravagant attire, but Piper and Hazel had insisted. The two of them were dressed similar enough- Hazel in gold and Piper in sapphire. But something about the whole ordeal seemed… off.

She couldn't place a finger on it. Maybe it was because she'd forgotten to bring parchment and ink into the dining room in hopes that their guest would know how to write. He seemed to understand English well enough, which was a start. But not knowing his name bothered her. She felt rude and insensitive. If he could write his name down for her, it would get rid of the awkwardness in conversations.

She was looking out the large glass windows of the dining room at the setting sun. She was talking to her ladies in waiting and Reyna, the latter producing a rare sight by dressing in a gown, but sticking to the color purple.

Annabeth was speaking about the brief hope she'd had when she encountered her mysterious guest when Reyna interrupted her speech.

"Oh, Annabeth, please be reasonable," she said. "Nice young men just don't swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean. And then flitter off into oblivion like some-"

"I'm telling you, Reyna." Annabeth looked at her. "He was real." She gazed out the window again, pressing a fist against it. "I'm gonna find that boy."

"And then what?"

Piper furrowed her eyebrows. "You're not considering marrying him, are you?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond when a voice at the other side of the room drew their attention.

"C' mon, dude." Leo stood in the entryway to the dining room, waving his arm, inviting an unseen person into the eating space.

Hedge appeared next to the mechanic. "Don't be shy, now."

A third figure appeared in the doorway.

Percy looked around the dining room in awe. There were massive paintings on the walls and potted plants in the corners with colorful flowers. The large wooden table was set for eight. Dozens of candles lit up a chandelier in the middle of the ceiling. The comforting yellow glow coming from it, mixed with the bright orange rays being cast through the windows, created a tranquil mood in the room.

He stepped into the warm sunlight and looked at Annabeth. He was wearing a white button-up shirt with black trousers and a red waistband. His hair shined from his bath. His skin was free of sand.

"Oh, Annabeth," Reyna said, "isn't he a vision?"

Annabeth tried to blink. He looked the same to her, in all honesty. Just sharper around the edges. But the joy that radiated off him- the excitement and curiosity from being in her palace wasn't hidden. She found the child-like expression inviting.

"Uh…" She smiled. "You look wonderful."

Percy wished he could speak. Every detail about Annabeth, right down to the silver earrings on her lobes, was set to perfection. He stood there for so long, Hedge had to come over and take him to his seat.

"Alright, come on. Let me help you with that." He pulled out his chair for him. Percy sat down. He made a weak attempt to gain a hold of the emotions that poured through him.

"You must be famished," Piper spoke from further down the table.

"But you are comfortable, right?" Hazel asked.

Percy nodded.

"Good." Annabeth sat in her chair at the head of the table. Hedged pushed it in for her. "I'm glad you are."

Reyna smiled across from Percy. "It's not often that we have such a lovely dinner guest, right, Annabeth?"

"Yes-" the Princess blinked, pulling her eyes away from Percy, "-right."

"Wait-" Leo squinted his eyes. He was seated at the head of the table across from Annabeth. "Why didn't anyone tell me we had to dress up for this?"

"Aren't those your nice suspenders?"

"I only have two pairs- and you call one of them nice?"

Percy half listened as he looked at the objects in front of him. Each one used to be in his cave underwater. Though the ones he'd found in the ocean had been old, slightly-if-not-very broken, and rusty. These items were undoubtedly clean and new.

He spotted a dinglehopper. He picked it up and looked at it with wide eyes. He started running it through his hair, attempting to smooth it over and impress his acquaintances.

They stared at him with unmoving eyes.

"Oh, dude!" Leo grinned. "How come I never thought of doing that with my fork?"

Fork?

"You would use anything as a comb, Leo," Hazel said. "Besides, your hair is too messy for that."

Percy placed the object down in confusion. What were they talking about? What were combs and forks?

Hedge got into the chair next to Percy. He pulled something out of his pocket.

A snarfblat.

Percy got another burst of energy. Hedge took notice. "Oh- do you like it?" He handed it over to Percy. "It's a rather fine one- my father's, actually-"

Percy took a deep breath and blew into it. A cloud of black dust shot out the other end.

Hedge blinked his eyes; his face was covered in a layer of black soot. The other teenagers laughed at his startled expression.

Piper coughed in an attempt to control herself, but continued to howl with laughter nonetheless. "Now you look like Leo."

Leo handed Hedge a cloth out of the belt around his waist. "If you mean devilishly handsome." He wiped his eyes. "Man- we haven't laughed like this in weeks, hahaha."

The comment made Percy smile.

"Very amusing." Hedge wiped his face. "Say, Valdez, what's Solace making for dinner anyway?"

"Oh- one of my favorites. Will's fixing his specialty- stuffed crab." Piper gave him a look. "With a lovely salad and mashed potatoes, of course! And let's not forget his famous rolls..."

Leo continued to reassure his friend while Percy's stomach grumbled. He hoped dinner would taste as good as it sounded.

Wait. _Crab?_

* * *

Chiron hid behind a jar in the kitchen. He didn't want to move from his hiding spot for fear of being found. But he had to find Percy. He couldn't let that boy out of his sight for too long. He had already lost track of time while hiding from the humans. His opportunities of escape were starting to run low.

Progressive humming caught his attention. He risked a peek.

Will had entered the room, now sporting a chef's hat and an apron, both porcelain white. He walked over to two people preparing silver platters. "Looks great, guys. Go ahead and take these out with the bread. I'll bring the main course out when I'm done." They nodded and gathered the plates.

"Don't get too carried away, Will," one said. Chiron tried to make sense of the green streaks in her hair. Was that a human thing?

"Who, me?" Will smiled, grabbing a bowl out of the sink. "When have I ever done such a thing, Kayla?"

"Just don't be a perfectionist." She walked out with two trays.

Will looked at the other cook. "Make sure she behaves, Austin."

The boy nodded with a grin. "As always. See you later, Will."

Will watched them leave before turning to the contents in his bowl. He carried it over to the counter Chiron was at, starting up his humming from earlier. "Les poissons, les poissons," he sang under his breath, "How I love les poissons…"

Living at the palace with his friends for years had resulted in him picking up phrases in different languages. His favorite lines came from listening to Piper mutter words in French under her breath (a habit he was doing now, though her accent was much more natural).

He chose a knife from a rack and started to pull something out of the bowl.

Chiron's legs trembled as he watched Will lay a fish on a cutting board. He started to de-scale the dead animal. Chiron sulked back against the wall, horrified.

Will continued to sing under his breath. "I love to chop and to serve little fish." He finished getting rid of the scales and started to cut the fish open.

"First I cut off their heads, then I pull out their bones. Ah mais oui, ca c'est toujours delice." He muttered the words as if they were a nursery rhyme he learned as a child. To him, they were… _normal_. It made Chiron queasy.

He decided he needed to get out of there. Fast.

He scurried away from the preoccupied boy. Which way was the door? He could have sworn it was left…

"Les poissons, les poissons…" Will continued to pull fish out of the bowl and prep them. He hummed his song without any knowledge of the crab crawling around his kitchen. "With the cleaver, I hack them in two…"

He picked up his cutting board and walked over to the stove where his siblings had set a large pan out for him. "I pull out what's inside and I serve it up fried, gods I love little fishes, don't you?" He cut the meat off the fish and placed it in the pan. He rinsed his hands in the sink before reaching for a tray that was set out for the fish.

"Here's something for tempting the palate- prepared in the classic technique." He plucked the cooked pieces out of the pan one by one with a fork and arranged them on the tray. "First you pound the fish flat with a mallet, then you slash through the skin, give the belly a slice, then you rub some salt in 'cause that makes it taste nice…"

Chiron somehow ended up next to the platter. He quickly found another pot to hide behind. _How hard is it to get out of a kitchen?_ he asked himself.

Will continued dishing up the fish and dressing it with other ingredients. When he was done he turned to another bowl on the counter. This one contained the crab Chiron had seen earlier.

Will soaked the crabs in a new container filled with a dark brown sauce. After a minute he pulled them out and stuffed them with bread and vegetables. He tossed them in a large pot on the stove where they cooked at an alarmingly fast pace. Chiron was glad he couldn't see much behind his jar. Now if Will could just hurry up and leave the room…

The blonde pulled the crabs out and placed each one on their own individual platter.

Then he walked over to Chiron's hiding spot.

Chiron scrunched down into his shell. _No- please, no_.

Will moved the jar aside, looking for an ingredient to dress the plates with. He spotted Chiron and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"What the- zut alors, I missed one!" He picked Chiron up by the sides of his shell. "Sacre bleu- what is this? How on earth could I miss such a sweet little succulent crab?" Chiron remained frozen as Will walked back to the bowl of sauce.

"Quel dommage, I didn't get him earlier. Oh well- in the sauce we go." He put Chiron in the bowl and turned to grab a bag on a shelf. The crab spat the brown liquid out of his mouth. _What is this stuff made of?_ he thought as he tried to get the strange flavor off his taste palate.

Will took a pinch of white powder out of the bag. "Now some flour- I think just a dab." He sprinkled it around Chiron and mixed it in with the sauce. Then he pulled Chiron out and grabbed the bread and vegetable mix from earlier. "Now I stuff you with bread- it don't hurt 'cause you're dead." He put the stuffing in Chiron's shell. "And you're certainly lucky you are, 'cause it's gonna be hot in my big silver pot. Toodle-loo, mon poisson, _au revoir!"_

He tossed Chiron in the pot with his last words and walked to the sink.

Chiron grabbed the rim of the pot with his claw, spitting out the stuffing. The hot steam created condensation on his shell, washing off the brown sauce.

He pulled himself up and out of the pot, landing on the counter with a thud.

Will paused his movements and looked behind him. Chiron shrank back down in his shell, fearing that he'd be in the kitchen forever. This boy wasn't going to give up soon- Chiron would have to put up a fight.

Will crept toward the crab and picked him up with a pair of tongs. He squinted at the red shell. "What is this? How could you possibly-"

Chiron reached forward and pinched Will's nose.

"OW!" Will dropped him back on the stove and rubbed his nose, checking for lacerations.

When he didn't find any, he glared at Chiron. He reached for him. Chiron jumped off the stove before Will could blink. The boy's hand touched the hot surface. He yanked it back with a jolt, knocking over several frying pans in the process. One fell on his foot with a bang.

He clenched his teeth as he resisted spewing colorful french vocabulary. He spotted Chiron moving across the floor. He grabbed a knife from the counter and threw it at him. It missed the crab by inches.

Chiron ducked under a table. Will crouched down with another knife and peered under it. But Chiron had crawled up the other side, finding the bowl of brown sauce he'd been dunked in. He pushed it off the table onto Will's head.

Will yelped. He wiped sauce from his eyes and slammed the knife down into the table, missing Chiron again. He was already on the other side of the room, not daring to look back at the chef. He was almost to the door. He could make it.

Will yanked the knife out of the oak wood. "You little-" he threw the blade. It embedded itself in the floor in front of the crab.

Chiron was forced to changed direction, heading toward an enormous shelf system. It housed the eloquent dining pieces that were used to serve the royal family. He climbed among the glass and porcelain. Surely the boy would not go after him while he's on a shelf full of valuable items.

Would he?

Will ran over with a mallet (probably used on the poor fish earlier) and gave a battle cry. A crab would _not_ stay loose- not in his kitchen.

He lunged at the shelves.

In the dining room, the others continued talking while consuming their appetizers and side dishes.

Then the loud crashes startled them. They exchanged questioning looks.

Piper gave a nervous smile. "I think I better go see what Will is up to…" She slid out of her chair and scurried to the kitchen.

She opened the swinging doors to a scene of absolute chaos.

Substances covered the walls and floor, tables were turned over, pots and pans littered the ground. She moved broken pieces of glass out of the way with her foot as she got closer to a lump moving in the corner. "Come out here, you little-"

She put her hands on her hips. "WILL!"

The medic bumped his already bruised head on the shelf he had ducked under. He turned around and looked at her with a guilty face. Parts of his apron and hat were scorched. There were cuts on his hands, likely from the broken glass. How long had he been in the kitchen?

Piper furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What are you _doing?_ "

He stumbled to his feet. "Uh- I was just- uh- I, um- I was-" he cleared his throat, looking down at his flour-covered shoes. "I'm sorry, Piper."

"Don't apologize to me." She grabbed a rag and walked over to him. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but we have a guest who's very hungry." She looked him in the eyes and whispered, "That boy can _eat._ " She rubbed Will's saucy face. "So if you wouldn't mind me helping you look presentable to take all this food out…"

Her kind spirit weighed on him. He sighed. "One of the crabs got loose… I can't have animals running around in my kitchen."

"Is that it?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "It's unsanitary."

"Honestly, Will." She pulled his hat off his head and hung it on the wall. "Let's just go eat some seafood, hm?"

* * *

Piper and Will walked into the dining room with a platter in each hand- three containing plates with covers, the fourth holding the cooked fish.

They placed a covered plate in front of each person. Will set the fish in the middle of the table.

Reyna was talking to the Princess. "You know, Annabeth, perhaps our guest might enjoy seeing some sights of the Kingdom. Something in the way of a tour?"

Annabeth turned away from watching Percy stare at the silver platter and cover, awestruck. "Uh- I'm sorry, Reyna, what was that?" Her smile didn't say she was sorry.

"You've said it yourself- you can't spend your time moping about while you recover. You need to get out. Do something. It's about time you do your monthly check on the town- make sure the people are happy." She lowered her voice. "Haven't you said you want a life? Get your mind off of-"

"Okay- easy, Reyna…"

At the other end of the table, Will took the open seat next to Gleeson Hedge. Leo gave him a glance over. "Dude… what happened to you?"

The chef shoved salad in his mouth. "Don't ask."

Percy strayed away from Will's fish. The starting salad and mashed potatoes had already filled him quite a bit, but if the food under his cover tasted as good as it smelled…

He uncovered his platter. If he hadn't been missing his voice, he would have screamed in surprise.

Chiron sat in the middle of Percy's plate with a nervous look on his face. He held a claw up to his mouth to send a message: _shhh, don't make a scene_.

Percy quickly glanced around the table. Everyone was immersed in conversation. He picked up the crab with his hand and put him in his lap, where he crawled into the folds of his waist scarf.

"… It's not a bad idea," Annabeth was still talking. "If he's interested." Percy quickly straightened himself as she looked at him. "What do you say?" She asked. "Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?"

Percy's eyes lit up. He shook his head yes with unneeded ferocity.

Annabeth smiled back at him. "Wonderful."

Leo suddenly slammed his fork down and stretched his arms. "Well, Will, that was some amazing food, as always, but…" He looked at Annabeth. "I've forgotten about something I had to do earlier, very important in the forges, you know… could be deadly if I don't-"

"Go- as long as you've eaten. You're a bit scrawny, Valdez."

"Yes, I know." He gave a bow to her as he walked out.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Don't worry- we'll check on him later."

Annabeth turned back to Percy. "He's all over the place…" she looked down at his platter. "Oh. It seems that your crab has wandered off your plate."

* * *

 **Ahhhhhh yes! This is amazing. I really hope I'm doing these franchises justice. I had to change some dialogue to fit the characters better but hopefully it still has the original Little Mermaid feel.**

 **I'm sorry if I got any French wrong- these were the actual lyrics from The Little Mermaid, so I guess blame Disney if they're incorrect in some way…? I tried my best :(**

 **Also, I thought maybe the Apollo kids would be good at cooking. And medicine. And planning. Hence why Will has the job of almost every staff member in the palace. He's just awesome like that. And Apollo is the god of a million things so I think it works out.**

 **Leave reviews and follow :) Check out some of my PJO one shots if you haven't already!**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ooof- this chapter is longer than the last one, if you can believe it.**

 **The good news- if you've missed the interactions of the other characters (cough* Caleo *cough) that's back. Yay! Lot's of progress shall be made.**

 **The bad news (mostly for die-hard Percabeth fans)- there is little Percy and Annabeth interaction.**

 **But lot's of reading! That's why you're all here, right?**

 **Enjoy :D**

* * *

Chapter 13

Leo stared down at the ocean beneath the rock. "He's with you… isn't he?"

Calypso stayed silent a moment, simply sitting beside him and letting the water make the noise. She looked up at the darkening sky. A few stars had popped out of the indigo. "Is that how you knew I would be here?"

"I had a pretty good hunch."

She took a moment to gather more thoughts. "My friends and I are in a complicated situation. I don't know how much I can tell you- it could put everyone in danger."

"So… It's a life or death scenario?"

"To him it is. If he goes back now there will never be amends between him and his father. An entire kingdom is at stake."

He sighed. "Of course there is." His anxiety grew as he thought of what that meant. His ADHD wasn't helping. He picked up a small rock and angled his arm back, preparing to throw it into the water to relieve the built up energy in his body.

"No," Calypso started. "Don't-!"

He tossed the rock into the ocean. She turned to him. "What?" Leo shrugged. "It's just a-"

"You idiot. No one knows I'm up here. If you gave me away to my friends-"

"Look, Calypso, I really don't care if I'm seen by your people."

"The Prince has already become human. If I'm caught on land with you it will only mean I get exiled with him."

Leo stared at her, his nerves now on edge.

She furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Annabeth's taking a _Prince_ on that date tomorrow?"

Something changed behind Calypso's eyes. She turned back to the ocean.

Leo was dumbfounded. They had taken in a prince. A prince that used to be a mermaid. No, merman. No… he didn't know. And he quite frankly didn't care at the moment. He'd given the guy a _bath_. What kind of a life was he living?

But Calypso's change in posture, the cold walls put up behind her features… she hadn't meant to tell him that their mystery guy was a prince. He personally didn't see what the big deal was. It was for the better, the more he thought about it. Will would be thrilled to know that he was royalty.

Wait…

The look behind Calypso's eyes. He suddenly knew why he could sense it. It was a feeling he'd come to know all too well. And unfortunately, it probably caused her just as much pain as it did him.

"You… you loved him, didn't you?"

She was probably three seconds away from running him through with a sharp object. But she gathered herself and spoke. "I did, years ago… We both greatly love human things, but he has always been bolder when making his moves.

"When he saved Annabeth the other night and saw all of you on your ship… It changed him. I think our friends know he belongs up here, but he made rash decisions. He sold his voice to the Sea Witch in exchange for a chance at this life."

She looked Leo in the eyes. "If he doesn't kiss Annabeth in the next two days, he will become Gaea's property, and she will use him to ascend the throne of Atlantica and rule the seven seas at her command."

Leo wanted to crack a joke, but the seriousness in her eyes could have rivaled Reyna's. There was no way so much was at stake. They'd just found the guy this morning- and he was in their lives because he didn't want to live in the sea anymore?

Yet Leo was here, having a conversation with a deadly mermaid on Annabeth's private beach. Such a thing should not have been possible.

He opened his mouth to say something when voices echoed off the cliff faces in the distance. He set his mouth. "You need to go. Now."

She gripped his shoulder. "Leo- not a word about the Prince to anyone- do you understand?"

He nodded. She jumped into the ocean.

Leo turned around to see Will, Hazel, Piper, and Reyna round the corner of the beach. They looked tired and irritated- likely due to having to walk half a mile to find the mechanic.

"Why are you disturbing my peace?" he called.

"Why are you out here?" Reyna retaliated.

"Have you forgotten that this is my thinking spot?"

"No," Hazel said. "When you weren't in the forge we figured you were out here."

"You've been acting strange today," Will said before squinting his eyes. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing!" Leo held out his arms. "What could possibly be out here that would interest me?"

"We heard you talking to someone."

 _Schist._

"You mean to myself?" Leo crossed his arms defiantly. "You know, I'm a little offended, Will. Talking to yourself is a sign that you're a genius."

"Oh really?" Will narrowed his eyes more. "Okay, if you're so sure, then you won't mind if I come over to take a look?"

Leo jumped off the rock into the knee-deep water. He gestured to the boulder. "Be my guest."

Will waded over, giving Leo a skeptical look as he passed him. He climbed onto the rock and moved toward the deep end of the ocean. He looked down into the water.

At the same time, there was movement under the ocean.

Calypso had jumped off the rock and swatted the bubbles away to clear her view of the rocky shelf. The temperature change made her body shiver.

She knew her friends would start to wonder where she was. _I better head back before someone starts to panic._

She turned to go to the cave they'd taken refuge in and nearly swam into Nico's chest.

She slowly raised her eyes to find her friends staring down at her, arms crossed, with unpleasant expressions.

"Um-"

"What were you doing up there?" Jason asked.

"I was, um- trying to spot Chiron. I thought he would appreciate knowing where we're staying-"

"Uh-hu." Thalia looked her up and down. "You were looking for Chiron."

"Yes. Why? What else would I be doing?" And then as an afterthought, "How did you find-"

"You really shouldn't be throwing rocks into the ocean." Jason held up the rock Leo had tossed. "They make loud noises- it could give us away to anyone looking for us."

Calypso wanted to slap that human. "I was aggravated that my search for Chiron wasn't going well. Can you blame me for throwing mindless objects at the water?"

"Besides the fact that you've been taught to better manage your anger issues," Thalia sawm around her, "You've been acting strange these last two days. First, you were late for training because you needed some 'time to think by yourself'. And then you go off alone today..."

"You haven't been in contact with humans, have you?" Frank asked.

"What?" Calypso tried to look offended. "Of course not!"

"Then I can go up and have a look?" Nico asked. Even though Calypso had almost knocked him off his tail a minute ago, he'd stayed his usual quiet self. But the look on his face said that he was done with games.

She was suddenly glad that sweat was next to impossible to see underwater. "I'm not stopping you- but it would be a waste of your time. There's nothing of amusement up there."

Nico gave her a glare of suspicion and floated up to the surface. He emerged from the water and was met with a startling pair of bright blue eyes.

This should have been a sight he was used too. He saw Jason and Thalia every day. But the boy in front of him- his eyes were brighter and darker all at once. He could see the excitement and knowledge behind them.

He had curly blonde hair that was moving in a zephyr. His knuckles were turning white on the edge of the rock he was on. If Nico could guess, the boy was just as surprised to see someone as he was.

The merman had no idea how true his thought was.

Will stared at the pair of deep brown eyes, frozen. The boy in the water had raven black hair that was plastered to his head from the ocean. His bare, pale shoulders had to be cold from being exposed to the air. Will's heart was beating a thousand times faster than the recommended rate.

Leo suddenly called out. "Well?"

Will stared at the boy a split second longer. Nico had felt a tug on his tail, probably Jason asking, "What's going on up there?" It was better he went back into the water. He and the blonde boy made the simultaneous decision to turn away.

Will remained on the rock, speechless. Leo continued to talk in the background. "What did I tell you? There's absolutely nothing out…" The look on Will's face must have been self-explanatory, because Leo's eyes visibly widened. He looked at him with a mixture of genuine concern and fear. "Will?"

"Leo," Will gasped. It was as if he'd seen a ghost. "What on earth is going on?"

In the water, Nico shared the same shock. He continued facing the rock as he tried to remember how to think.

"Well?" Jason asked.

Nico turned and looked at Calypso, finally managing to speak. "What are you doing?"

Her face dropped. "What do you mean?"

Nico reached for a sword that wasn't there. "You have a lot of explaining to do. I'm starting to think I can't trust you anymore. That _we_ can't trust you anymore." He gestured to their friends.

Calypso started, "Nico-"

"No, Calypso. You need to explain yourself."

Frank looked between the two. After a very brief period of silence, he spoke. "What's going on?"

Nico continued staring down the girl in front of him. "There's a human up there."

"What?" Jason managed to lock eyes with Nico. The boy was being serious.

Jason made for the surface.

"Jason-" Calypso followed after him.

Nico hesitated to join them. He didn't know if he could handle what was about to happen. But it was too late to not get involved.

He looked at Frank and Thalia. "Something is going on with her."

Thalia cracked her neck. "As if we need more on our plates."

Nico agreed with her statement. But something about that boy that he saw... Maybe it was his imagination, but Nico didn't think he would create a hostile confrontation. If the boy was as kind as he looked, then maybe- _just maybe_ \- he could help them.

Nico surfaced with Frank and Thalia. Jason and Calypso cowered behind the large rock as voices echoed across the sea air.

Humans were arguing.

"Look, man, I haven't been doing anything wr-"

"There is a mermaid on the other side of that rock!"

"Yeah, she's _real_ friendly."

"She?"

"Yeah- and if you had any manners, you would ask for her name."

"I definitely saw a boy."

A new voice entered the heated exchange. "Are you saying there are _multiple_ people behind that rock?"

"Technically the term is merpeople-"

"Prove this, Valdez. Now. No more shenanigans."

"Wow, never heard you say that word before, Reyna."

Silence for a minute. Calypso pictured many facial exchanges on the other side of the boulder.

Finally, Leo sighed. "Okay, Calypso. The jig is up. They know." Calypso moved out from behind the rock, but the others stayed hidden, unsure about her motions. Leo looked at her with defeated eyes. She could read the expression behind them. _I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen._ But then he spoke aloud. "Your friends saw you, didn't they?"

She gave a grave nod. "Yours too, I see." He pressed his lips into a line of guilt. She huffed with an attempt to smile. "Then I guess we're both to blame." Calypso turned to her friends. They remained hidden behind the rock. "They won't kill you. I swear it on the River Styx."

The deepest promise someone could make. She was serious. She trusted these humans with her life.

Nico rolled his eyes in a very annoyed manner. Her bold statement clearly didn't resonate with the rest of the group. But now they had no choice but to trust her.

They swam into the fading sunlight.

The two groups faced each other for several minutes in silence, trying to comprehend the fact that they weren't dreaming. If the merpeople were unicorns with rainbow manes, it would have made no difference for the humans. The beings in front of them were the stuff of legends. They weren't supposed to be floating off the palace shore.

Nico spotted the boy he had locked eyes with. He was standing in the water next to a boy with curly black hair. The blonde looked at Nico again and almost began to smile. He probably would have if he hadn't been in a state of complete shock.

The merman suddenly became conscious of this fact. He turned his eyes toward the water surrounding him.

Not long after, Leo gave a stretch. "And… the ADHD has kicked in. Okay- Who wants to tackle the elephant in the room?"

"I would very much like to tackle it," Reyna spoke without taking her eyes off the other teenagers. "What are you doing here? And what is your involvement with Leo?"

Calypso looked at the sky, pretending to give it some thought. "Well… This idiot claimed I took his thinking spot, so he blackmailed me into a promise to bring him celestial bronze for… whatever it is he needs it for."

"Woah, woah," Leo looked at her with a shocked face. "First off, I'm pretty sure I used the words 'peace offering.' Second- I am not an idiot. And third- it is still _my_ thinking spot."

"You did _what?!_ " Thalia screamed into Calypso's ear.

Calypso thrust an arm out toward Leo. "He threatened to tell the humans about my existence- what was I supposed to do?"

"Um, there's this thing we've been going through called _training_. I'm sure you remember it."

Leo raised his hand. "If it makes you feel better, she did threaten to cut my throat."

Will put his hands on either side of his head, yanking at his hair. "A mermaid threatened to cut your throat? Leo Valdez!"

"What? If nothing else I have details on the-" He snapped his mouth shut, realizing the mistake he almost made.

The others gave him suspicious looks. Piper almost waded into the water to get in his face. "Details on what?"

Leo turned to Calypso and stared at her for a minute, the gears in his brain going into hyperdrive. "We can help."

"No."

"You guys too- there are waterways that go into the village-"

"Leo, I appreciate your concern, but it is already too dangerous for us. This is something that can not be messed with. We must let him handle everything. You absolutely _can not_ get involved."

Will intervened. "Get involved in what?"

Frank gaped at Calypso. "You didn't tell him about…?"

Calypso ran her hands through her wet hair anxiously, then put a hand on the large boulder. If she wanted to show her trust in these humans, she had to let them in. "Everyone should get comfortable. There's a lot we need to talk about. Starting with a necessary subject." She looked at the humans. "Allow us to introduce ourselves."

* * *

The sun had set by the time Percy changed into a nightshirt and pants. He walked out onto a small balcony attached to his room. He never thought he'd be able to see the ocean from this angle. The view was stunning- the stars and moon reflected off the water's surface. The sound of strong waves tumbling ashore was soothing.

He looked down at the courtyard that sprawled below his balcony.

Annabeth was walking along a strip of grass with Festus at her side. He happily barked and nudged at her dress. She bent down and scratched his head. He tilted it up toward Percy, causing her to shift her view. She smiled softly and waved at him.

Percy almost jumped back, not expecting to be noticed. He gave a nervous grin and waved back before turning into his room.

Annabeth continued looking at the balcony after Percy disappeared. Her heart gave a strange twist. "Oh, boy…" she sighed, looking back down at Festus. "What am I gonna do?"

Percy made to close the double doors behind him, but Chiron stopped him. "Leave it cracked," he said. "I need to speak with the others soon." He pulled a piece of lettuce out from under his shell. He spoke with a disgusted look. "This has got to be the most humiliating day of my life. And I thought the training session was bad."

Percy gave a small smile and walked to his bed, patting Chiron on the head as he passed by. The crab was on his nightstand, sitting by a lit candle. "I hope you appreciate what I go through for you, young man," he said.

Percy nodded his head and sat on his bed. His body sank into the foamy mattress. His eyes lit up with excitement. He sat up straighter and bounced into the middle of the bed. He grinned and got under the covers, embracing his experience.

Chiron gave a slight roll of his eyes. He tried to focus Percy's attention again. "Now, we need to make a plan to get that girl to kiss you. Tomorrow when she takes you on that tour, you need to look your best. Do what you need to do- bat your eyes, pucker your lips, whatever you kids do these days. Tonight I will talk with your friends…"

Percy's mind started drifting off again. He closed his eyes. The bed was incredibly comfortable. It smelled faintly like lavender- probably from the soap they used to wash the sheets. He found his brain growing foggy.

"... It should work. Yes, it should be fine." Chiron stared at Percy. The boy was fast asleep. He'd forgotten that none of his pupils had gotten proper sleep in over 24 hours. The others had to be just as exhausted as Percy was.

He gave a fatherly smile.

He reached up and blew out the candle before making his way toward the balcony. "You are hopeless, child, you know that?" he whispered. "Completely hopeless…" He gave Percy one last glance and crawled out of the room.

He made his way down the castle walls and banisters before finding himself on the beach. He looked around at the water and cliffs. _Now, which way did they go?_ he thought to himself. He debated picking a path when he heard faint voices echoing down the shore. He started crawling in their direction.

As he got closer, he could make out some of the words that were being exchanged.

"Would that work?"

"... not the best to…"

"You really need to think…"

Chiron rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. His students were conversing with the humans that were at dinner. They were in the shallow water, the humans sitting in the wet sand. Any person walking by could have mistaken them as a group of friends having an evening picnic. "Oh my gods…"

The merfolk noticed him. Their faces turned from comprehensive to fearful. Frank visibly shrunk. "Chiron?"

"What is going on?!"

"AH!" Will gripped Piper's shoulders. "That's him! That's the crab from the kitchen!"

"You!" Chiron walked over as if confronting him. He wished he had his staff. Hopefully one of his students had it hidden in a safe spot. "You tried to cook me!"

Nico was astounded. "He did _what?_ "

Neither Chiron nor Will answered. The humans stared at the crustacean, petrified. Calypso raised an eyebrow, looking between the group and her teacher. "What? What is it?"

"The crab is talking," Will spoke. "The crab is _talking._ "

"And you're surprised after speaking to merpeople for over an hour?"

"I'm not surprised, really," Leo said. "I just think it's weird. I can barely see his mouth moving. It's so creepy..."

"Well, get used to it," Chiron said. "Because I have a lot of questions."

"Please don't be mad, Chiron," Jason got closer to the shore. "They just want to help- they know about Percy. And the deal with Gaea. They can be our eyes and ears on land; we can't do anything out of the water."

"I understand that." Chiron started crawling along the shore toward the rock where Calypso and Thalia were sitting above the water. "But conversing with humans is not something that will benefit our outcome later. Have you given any thought as to what will happen after the three days are up? What will you do when we go back to Atlantica?"

" _If_ we go back," Thalia corrected. "Chiron we don't even know if we'll be accepted back to the palace training program. We have no weapons, no allies, save for these humans. Heck, we don't even have proper beds anymore. Just a dark sea cave we found off the shoreline that's being guarded by Grover. You really think we can go back?"

"It's either go back and possibly be exiled, or accept being an outcast. Which one would you like to try?"

The merpeople stayed quiet. Calypso glanced over at Leo. He looked extremely uncomfortable. He probably wasn't used to seeing a giant crab chastise merfolk about being exiled by hidden underwater royalty. Before she could break the silence, Frank spoke up.

"Well," he started, "we're doomed already, so at least hear us out. We're working on a plan to get Annabeth to kiss Percy. We can't turn back, Chiron. Go big or go home, right?"

"Wow," Leo said. "You guys have that saying too?" They each gave him an annoyed glance. He scrunched his shoulders. "What? We've already established that I don't like awkward situations…"

"Frank's right, though," Chiron said. He sat atop the rock with the mermaids. "I need to hear this plan."

"Okay, then." Reyna shifted in the sand. "First thing in the morning, we'll go wake up Percy and let him know that we want to help. Then, after he leaves with Annabeth on the tour, we'll split up. Half of us will follow them, make sure they're safe, and the other half will come back here to start preparing for the evening."

"Annabeth is supposed to be taking Percy out on a rowboat to view the coastline," Piper said. "So while they're out in the water, we'll create soft music in the distance. We'll be far away enough that it won't create any suspicion in Annabeth- she'll think it's just some villagers having a party."

"Now, since we can't do much out of the water, we've come up with someone who can help us," Jason said. "We'll find Rachel and ask her to rally some of the local animals to help make the boat ride relaxing. You know, birds and crickets chirping, fish swimming around the boat playfully-"

"Yeah, sounds very realistic," Nico injected.

"We've got nothing better to do. We're only helpful in the water." Thalia turned to the crab. "Chiron- Will you give us a chance?"

The crab was silently looking back and forth between the merfolk and humans. He seemed to be putting a giant puzzle together in his head.

He sighed. "Yes. I'll let you have your chance. I know that I can't stop you." He looked at the humans. "If you don't mind me asking for assistance back to the palace. I need to keep an eye on Percy." He turned back to his pupils. "You have not been getting enough sleep. Go rest- and if you don't mind, bring my staff tomorrow night, if you still have it."

Frank nodded to Chiron. "Yes, Sir."

Thalia gave the humans a salute. "See ya' tomorrow." She and the mermen dove down in the ocean.

Calypso looked Leo in the eyes. He nodded his head and gave her a thumbs up. "It'll be fine."

She gave a weak smile and jumped into the water.

Chiron crawled back to the beach. Leo picked him up, saying, "Alright, Sir. Let's get you back to the mystery prince."

Will looked at his feet as they walked. "I'm sorry about earlier- all the chaos I created. But in the kitchen, you didn't say anything to me. Why? It definitely would have stopped me from trying to cook you."

"Most sea creatures can speak. We just choose when we reveal it and whom we want to know. If every human knew that we could talk, do you think it would change anything?"

"It makes you more human. Well, I guess we can't say that anymore, since there are merpeople. I think I mean that it makes you more like a person. And most people don't like eating other people."

"Does this mean all animals can talk, though?" Hazel asked. "I've never heard cows or chickens speak before."

"I've never met any land creatures," Chiron admitted. "Besides that bird, but I wouldn't count her."

"What bird?" Leo asked.

"Oh, you'll probably find out soon enough. She seems to know when to conveniently pop up."

"Well, as long as I can keep eating bacon, I'm fine with this."

Piper looked at Leo questioningly. "Really? It makes me glad I'm a vegetarian."

After a few more minutes of walking, Chiron spoke again. "You kids are taking this pretty well."

"Oh, trust me," Reyna laughed, "I'm still trying to grasp reality."

"Really?" Hazel asked. "I mean, I'm shocked too, but have you ever had… I don't know, any feeling that we haven't been alone? I mean there have been tales about merfolk for centuries. My mom even told stories to me when I was little."

Chiron looked over at her. "Did she?"

"Yeah. But I always thought they were… you know, fantasies."

The crab frowned. "Well, they are very much real. And sadly, our world has brought a mess into yours. I hope we can make this plan work. Many lives are at stake."

* * *

Mellie charged through the halls of the palace toward the throne room at a dangerously fast pace. She was grateful that there wasn't anyone in the corridors to slow her down, but the circumstances surrounding this fact scared her. Chiron and the soldiers-in-training had vanished without a trace the day before, and the entire kingdom was out looking for them. So far, nothing had turned up. The last reports of them were from the King himself- he went out to their training session to bring his son home, but returned alone, leaving Percy in the clearing to finish with the others.

Mellie knew how much this fact weighed on him, and how unstable it was making the throne of Atlantica. She sped up her swimming. She emerged through the open doorway of the throne room and was faced with an empty seat. She looked around the chamber.

King Poseidon was staring out a large window high on the wall. His fingers gripped the ledge in tight anxiety. Mellie took a breath and swam up to his side.

He turned and looked at her, small glimpses of hope in his eyes. "Any sign of them?"

She gave him a small bow before adjusting her sash in anticipation. "No, Your Majesty. The latest reports have come in. Even Tyson and Ella have searched everywhere. We've found no trace of Percy and Chiron, or the other students. Only their equipment from the clearing has been found."

Poseidon looked out the window again. It had now been twenty-four hours since he last saw his son. And things weren't looking good. But he wouldn't stop searching. None of them would.

His face grew serious. He looked back at Mellie with determined eyes. "Well, keep looking. Leave no shell unturned, no coral unexplored. Let no one in this kingdom sleep until they're safe at home."

He turned around and made for his throne. Mellie gave another bow. She tried to make sure the exhaustion didn't show on her face. "Yes, Sire." She quietly left the room.

Poseidon sank down into his chair and placed his hands on his face. "Oh… What have I done? What have I _done?_ "

* * *

 **I realize now that at the beginning of this story I didn't capitalize "Sire" and "Your Majesty" so I truly, truly apologize for that. ~'_'~ (I tried to make a blushing face- I'm not sure it worked out well.) I try not to make any spelling errors because I know how upsetting it is to be reading something and then find a mistake. I try very hard not to be that person. So, again, I apologize for that. I would go back and fix those mistakes but it would take too much time that I don't have.**

 **On the bright side of life- Solangelo feels XD I thought it would work better if Nico and Will saw each other when investigating Leo and Calypso. Instead of just having Leo and Calypso giving in to their peers. Because, you know, that's a boring plot. And it also gets the ball rolling on Will and Nico's relationship.**

 **I've talked too much. Review, Favorite, and Follow!**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	14. Chapter 14

**If I had one word to describe this chapter, I think it would be** _ **cute**_ **. It's time for the village tour! Yay- cue the celebratory music!**

 **There are more cameos too. Or, mentions/brief showings. Whatever you wanna call it. I won't say who though ;)**

 **Now for more story- I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 14

Mellie swam from the palace, searching the same places she had before, hoping the teenagers would be close by. Somehow (though she couldn't remember how for the life of her) she ended up at the shoreline. She searched the scattered rocks and hidden grottos, fearing that if she returned to the King empty-handed again, his hope would give out.

She made a quick prayer to the gods that Percy and the others were okay. She wanted nothing more than to find those kids. If they were truly gone for good, there'd be chaos. The fate of Atlantica depended on their safe return.

She surfaced by the beach and swept the sand with her eyes. "Come on, Percy," she whispered to herself, growing desperate. "Where did you go?"

Something near her gave a loud snap.

She gasped and shrank back down in the water, only keeping the top half of her head visible. She moved to a nearby rock and scanned her surroundings. There were several trees near her, providing cover for something large enough to make the noise she heard. Several large rocks littered the shore, likely broken off from the cliffs surrounding the beach.

Not finding anything, Mellie turned back to face the open ocean. Was it possible that a fellow mermaid was nearby? Maybe it was Percy. Perhaps he had gotten lost and somehow ended up close to human territory.

Near her location, Gleeson Hedge moved around the beach. The man had gone to Reyna with a question about security for the village tour the next day, but found her chamber completely deserted. And when he'd gone to find Will to ask the same question, he was met with yet another empty office.

After searching the castle, he realized that Leo, Hazel, and Piper had also vanished. He quickly realized that something was up.

"Those darn kids," he had said when he left the palace to look for them. "Always getting themselves into trouble."

And now he was on the beach, searching the private grounds to find a bunch of teenagers.

He was considering turning back to the palace when he heard a loud splash come from the water. This made him suspicious; it was difficult to hear many things over the waves, but he was sure he wasn't imagining anything…

He grew suspicious. He listened to the waves rise and fall over the sand. Hedge swore to himself that he wasn't being crazy. That splash had sounded different. Like a large human moving in the water.

He looked at what he could see through the trees. Everything seemed normal. He scratched his head. Maybe someone had thrown something into the ocean. He wouldn't hold it against Leo to test something dangerous.

He turned his back to the ocean and looked at the beach. He slowly began moving backward into the water, gaining a better view of the cliffs. Had a rock broken off the landmass and fallen into the water?

Mellie simultaneously moved backward toward the shore. Something was off. _Extremely_ off…

She had started to wonder if someone was toying with her from the water when her back bumped into Gleeson Hedge's.

Mellie yelped. She jumped so high out of the water, she nearly drenched him when she splashed back down. Hedge stumbled out of the waves in shock. "Wha- Who-?" He wiped the water from his eyes. Then blinked several times.

A woman was floating in the water just a few feet in front of him. Something flicked to the side of her torso- fins of a white tail. She had a startled look on her face. Hedge held his breath, trying to rationalize what he was looking at. Then he realized he was being rude. He had just run into this woman, and he was standing on the beach with his mouth open.

He took a small bow. "Forgive me, Ma'am." He straightened back up. Her eyes were a dark shade of brown. He'd never seen anything like it. "I- uh, didn't mean to run into you. You see, I'm looking for a group of kids- well, teenagers. But I guess you haven't seen them, since you… since you're a… um-"

She splashed her tail in the waves. "A mermaid?"

He nodded his head. "Yes- that."

She gave a small smile. "I should be apologizing to you, actually. I'm not really… I didn't mean to come here. I was out doing something for someone…"

Mellie struggled to explain herself. She didn't want to give away her job, but the man's eyes… She felt deep down that she could trust him. Something in his features- he seemed like the type of person that kept things serious but cared deeply about those close to him.

Before she could say more, he spoke again.

"Well, don't worry about it. Really. I promise I won't tell anyone about you being here. Your secret is safe with me. But I… I just…" He stopped talking. The woman was stunning in a way he couldn't describe. Her dark hair floated around her shoulders like seaweed in an undertow. Her eyes were wide with determination- a look he knew well. He'd interrupted her mission.

"Um, I'm sorry to have bothered you… I'll just-" he made to leave the scene.

Mellie jumped up in the water and grabbed his wrist. "No- wait!"

Hedge stared at her. She let go, blood rushing to her ears. "I- I'm looking for some kids too. They've run off, and all of us back home are worried sick. I know it's unlikely, but if you happen to see other merpeople… Well, if they know Percy, or if you meet him, tell him that his father is worried. And that he's sorry."

Hedge nodded. "I promise."

Mellie looked down at the water, nodding back in understanding. She started moving deeper into the ocean to look somewhere else when Hedge called out to her. "Hey- will I… Will you ever come back? Will I see you again?"

She smiled and looked back at him. "I hope so."

He smiled back at her. He turned around and began walking back to the palace. He'd only taken a few steps when a question jolted his brain. He turned back to talk to her, but she was gone.

He didn't get her name.

When he finally got back, he located Will in a hallway. "Oh, Coach." He walked up to Hedge. "Austin told me you were looking for us earlier. We found Leo in the forge after dinner and we were talking to him about… something…" he coughed, "Something regarding our ships… Yes. Sorry about scaring you, if we did."

Hedge blinked. His mind was still occupied by the mermaid at the beach. "Uh- it's fine, Kid. It must have slipped my mind to go check the forge."

"Okay." Will drummed his fingers against his crossed arms for a moment, anxious that he was about to receive a speech from the man. "Well, um, do you still need me for something?"

"Wha- no. No, it can wait until morning. It's just about the village tour." He waved his hand, dismissing Will, then started for his room. "Just go get some sleep."

* * *

The sun had barely begun to rise the next morning when Percy heard a knock on his bedroom door. He crawled out of the mass of blankets and opened it, finding Will and Leo staring back at him.

"Hey, Per- um." Will coughed. "Hey, Man. Can we come in?"

Percy nodded with a smile. He let the boys into his room. Chiron poked his head out from behind a vase on the nightstand, sensing what was about to happen.

Will stood still and wrung his hands nervously. Leo stretched and got straight to the point.

"Okay, look- we're here to help you get ready for a full day of walking and carriage riding and other boring stuff, but you need to know… We're here to help. Like _actually_ help." Percy furrowed his eyebrows. Leo tried for a comforting look (which was definitely not his strong suit- he normally looked lost and confused). "We know where you came from, Percy. Most of us, anyway."

The Prince stared at him. He felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on his face. How could they have found out? He was sure Chiron hadn't told them. And the others couldn't leave the water…

"We want to help you become a human- permanently," Will interrupted his daze. "So- will you hear us out?"

Chiron crawled out from his spot. "Percy." He looked at the crab. "They ran into the others on the beach last night. They have a plan. I didn't think it would ever come to this… but they're right. We need their help."

Percy looked between the two boys. He couldn't believe anything he was hearing. He had so many questions he felt like his brain would melt. But, unable to speak, he simply nodded to show that he appreciated them.

"Alright then," Will walked over to Percy's closet. "First you need to get dressed- why don't you get ready while we explain?"

* * *

Annabeth helped Percy climb into the carriage after her. She sat down and waved up at the balcony above her. Her friends were leaning over it, waving back like spectators at a horse race. "See you tonight!" she called to them.

"Just don't go too far out!" Will shouted back.

Annabeth smiled in response. "Always so overprotective," she muttered under her breath. She took the reins and signaled the horse to start their journey.

Once the carriage disappeared past the tall palace gates, Hedge leaned towards Reyna. "Make sure they don't get into trouble."

She bowed her head, her braid falling over her tunic. "Yes, Sir."

Piper looked at her coach. "Would you like me to assist, Sir?" Hedge nodded. She hurried off with Reyna, giving her a high-five once they were inside the palace.

"The rest of you-" Hedge turned to Will, Leo, and Hazel. "Go be useful."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"And stay out of trouble." Hedge walked inside the castle. But his mind wandered out to the ocean. He was still thinking about the night before, and part of his heart hoped he would never stop.

* * *

Percy stared down at the road beneath them. It was made of small grey stones that gave the carriage the slightest jolts as they headed toward the village. He looked over at Annabeth.

She was wearing a dress with sky colored sleeves, a navy blue top, and a sapphire skirt. A matching blue bow in her hair blew in the wind as the horse gained speed. He was suddenly glad he had changed his red waistband to a blue one.

"We'll walk around the town square first- I need to check on some of the shops, so it'll be a great opportunity for you to look around. When we're done there it'll probably be time for lunch." She briefly glanced at him as she paused reciting their agenda. Then she did a double-take.

Percy was leaning over the side of the carriage, trying to get a better glimpse at the horse pulling them.

Annabeth reached over and yanked his arm, bringing him back to her side. "Woah- please don't do that. It's dangerous." Percy's eyes fell in embarrassment. Annabeth gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you like the horse, though. His name's Blackjack. You can feed him carrots later if you like."

The comment made him smile again. Chiron climbed out of the hiding spot in Percy's waistband and snuck into the back of the carriage. He held onto the large cases and chests. It was best he stayed in a more secure spot.

They crossed a long bridge to the entrance of the village. Below them, Grover swam around the stone pillars. He jumped out of the water and gave signals to Chiron. _Has she kissed him yet?_

Chiron shook his head. _Not yet._

Grover frowned.

The carriage crossed into the village, coming to a halt next to a giant stone fountain. Blackjack gave a loud exhale from his nostrils and dipped his head down, drinking the cool water.

Percy stared at the plaza. He couldn't begin to count every building he saw as he turned his head. They were very stable looking structures, with gingerbread colored roof tiles and large windows. Dozens of people milled about the area, carrying bags and baskets slung around their shoulders or balanced on their heads.

He hopped out of the carriage and held a hand out for Annabeth. She smiled as she grabbed it and stepped down to his side. "We'll leave the carriage here," she explained. "Blackjack does a pretty good job causing chaos when people try to mess with my stuff."

Percy nodded as he continued watching the people walk around the square. He saw a crowd gathered at a small booth not too far from the fountain. Someone was putting on a show.

Annabeth unscrolled a piece of paper she'd been holding. "First, I need to stop by the seamstress and check on-" Percy pulled on her sleeve, stopping her sentence. He pointed at the crowd. "Oh." Annabeth looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "You want to watch the puppet show?" Percy nodded with eagerness.

Annabeth looked back at her paper. "Well, alright. I suppose we can spare a few minutes." Percy grinned and led her over to the stand.

There were two figures in the small window. One puppet was dressed in green, white, and red colors, with a giant, equally colorful hat. The other wore gold, violet, and blue, also sporting strange hat. They were poking each other with their small hands.

Annabeth leaned towards Percy's ear, keeping her eyes on the puppets. "They're jesters," she explained. "They perform funny skits to entertain others, typically royal families." The green one picked up a stick and started hitting the other with it. The children watching laughed at it. Annabeth sighed. "It's not always the most accurate representation…"

Percy moved closer to the booth.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Hey- what are you-" Percy reached through the open window and grabbed the green jester. He stared at it in fascination. How could humans make such accurate, yet extraordinarily small versions of themselves? It was incredible. He wished he could say something to the performers, compliment them on their work. But he unwillingly remained silent.

The now bare hand waved around, feeling the edge of the window, looking for it's missing puppet.

"Oh my gods- no." Annabeth ran up and took the puppet out of Percy's hand and gave it back to the performer. "You can't take that while they're performing. It's rude." She turned back to the hand. "I'm so sorry about that."

"Oh really? You're sorry?" A boy poked his head over the ledge. "I'm trying to- Princess Annabeth?"

Annabeth blinked. "Cecil?"

The other performer popped her head up. "Wait, Annabeth's here?"

"Lou Ellen? I didn't know you two performed puppet shows."

"It's a side job," the boy said. "But forget about us-" he looked at the kids, "everyone, this is the Princess. Say hello."

They stared wide-eyed at Annabeth. Some quickly recovered and ran up to her skirt to meet her. Percy's heart melted at the sight of her talking to them. She clearly got along well with kids. She didn't give off the cold stare that her statue had produced, She spread a warm smile as she shook each of their tiny hands. Percy felt privileged just being in her presence, let alone accompanying her for the entire day.

He turned back to Cecil and tapped the boy's shoulder. _Sorry,_ he mouthed.

Cecil waved a hand. "It's fine, bro. It's not the first time that's happened." He looked Percy up and down. "You a new soldier at the palace?"

He shook his head.

The other boy squinted his eyes. "Wait… if you're not a guard… oh my gods. Annabeth, are you on a-"

Annabeth jumped in before he could speak another word. "I'm just showing him around, Cecil. He's staying at the palace for a bit before we get him back home."

Lou Ellen joined Cecil's squinting. "Right… whatever you say." Her tone suddenly lightened. "So, what's your name, friend?"

Percy tried verbally answering, but no sound came out of his mouth.

The two performers exchanged confused expressions. Annabeth facepalmed herself. "I'm such an awful person- he can't speak. We don't know why, exactly, but I've been meaning to see if he could write his name down on paper. You don't happen to have any back there, do you?"

"Sorry," Cecil said. "We're fresh out of pen and paper."

"Oh… It's fine. The seamstress might have some. We should get going." She put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Ready?"

He nodded, mouthing a goodbye to Lou Ellen and Cecil.

Once they got out of earshot, the performers gave each other knowing smiles. "She's on a date," they stated in unison.

Every now and then, as Percy and Annabeth continued their trek through the village, people would come up to the Princess and ask questions. She always remained level headed and quickly fixed whatever problems needed fixing. She would often ask Percy his opinion on things, and he would shake his head yes or no in response. With each conversation, no matter how one-sided it seemed, he could feel her trust in him building. And deep down inside, Annabeth hoped the day would never end.

As the hours passed, Reyna and Piper remained a safe distance from the couple. They trailed behind them down streets and hid in alleyways. Piper tried her best to keep quiet and serious like Reyna but found it harder to do so as the day continued. "I don't know how you do this all the time, Reyna," she whispered as they strolled past the toy store. "Don't you ever get overheated in that tunic?"

"Sometimes, but I've learned to deal with it. If you can't handle a sunny day out as a personal security force, then it's not the right job for you." She glanced over at her friend. "Are you getting tired? We can stop if you need-"

"No, I'm fine." Piper started to laugh, "Just wishing I owned more pants like you. They seem much more practical." She looked up at the blue sky. "This is nice though. I'm glad Annabeth isn't running around quickly like she normally does. It gives us a chance to be stealthy."

Reyna nodded before abruptly stopping, pulling Piper to the side. "They're taking a break for lunch." She looked at the other girl. "Are you hungry?"

After eating fresh local fruits and deli dishes, Percy and Annabeth strolled past another square. This one was full of music and dancing.

Percy stopped in his tracks. He'd never seen anything like it. The colorful skirts of women's dresses swayed with their movements like tropical fish in a reef. Their partners held them close and glided along the ground with them. Every person he could see had a smile on their face. He thought of the figurine he used to have in his cave. Any one of these couples could have been that same pair, only alive and full of emotion.

Annabeth turned to see what he was looking at. She grinned. "The village does this a lot- the people love dancing." Her heart filled with pride. She was so grateful to live in a kingdom that enjoyed festivities; she didn't know what she would do if the people only thought of hard work and money. She regarded Percy. "Do you like dancing?"

He was at a loss. How could he explain to her that he didn't know how to dance with legs? His face fell. He looked at her, hoping his eyes would convey the message.

She got it. "You've never danced before, have you?" He shook his head. His ambition started taking over his body. He grabbed one of her hands and pointed at her with his other hand, then pointed at himself. Her gray eyes brightened in the slightest way. "Me- you want _me_ to teach you?"

He nodded. Annabeth gazed at the crowd. "Well… okay, if you insist. But only for a few minutes. I must warn you, though. I'm trained quite well in the art of dance."

He laughed, and let her lead him into the open space. She stopped in the middle of the square and put one of his hands on her waist. She placed a hand on his shoulder and kept their other hands laced together. "Now," she said, "just take it one step at a time, okay?"

Percy nodded, trying to ignore the blood rushing up his neck to his ears and cheeks. Annabeth took a step back, pulling him with her. Then she took one forward, and then one to the right. Percy eventually registered a pattern in his head, his body moving in rhythm with the music.

Annabeth gave him an encouraging smile. "You're pretty good for a first-time dancer. Are you ready to go faster?" Percy nodded. She suddenly took a large stride to the left. He had to stare at his feet to avoid stepping on her or himself. They continued gaining momentum, with bigger, faster, and an increasing number of steps. He smiled at her as they feel in beat with everyone around them.

His nerves twisted as the other boys started to lift their partners up. He tried to shake the feeling away- he wouldn't miss this opportunity. He placed both hands around Annabeth's waist as she moved hers up to his shoulders, anticipating his actions. He lifted her up and spun her around, her blue skirt and blonde hair trailing behind them.

He put her down as the music stopped and they stood still for several seconds, catching their breaths. Annabeth laughed. "You're a natural! Are you sure you haven't danced before?" He smiled back at her in response.

A clocktower chimed in the background. Annabeth's laughter turned nervous. "Whoops. Time to go." She grabbed his arm and led him back to their path from earlier. "I think you'll like this next store."

They visited the bakery, the flower stand, the cobbler's shop, and many others that Percy quickly lost track of. By late afternoon, he was carrying a loaf of bread and a bouquet of red amaryllis flowers. He also wore a navy blue hat Annabeth had bought for him. When they got back to the fountain Blackjack was standing at, he placed all of his items inside one of the chests at the back of the carriage. He fed the horse a carrot before helping Annabeth climb up into the seat.

"Thank you for your help today," she said. "I hope you enjoyed some of it." Percy nodded his head a little too hard. She beamed at him. "Now… let's go relax." She flicked the reins and Blackjack took them out of the village over the back bridge. As they passed under the final arch and headed down a forested path, Rachel spotted them from the air and flew down.

She rested on the ledge of the bridge, catching sight of Grover in the water underneath. She leaned down and projected her voice. "Yo, Grover- any kissing?"

Grover shook his head. "No, not yet."

Rachel placed her wings where her hips would be. "Well- they better get cracking."

Grover rolled his eyes in the slightest way before speaking again. "The others have a plan ready- you wanna help us out?"

Rachel smiled. "Will it work?"

"Hopefully."

"Then, yes. I do." She swooped down to the water and followed the fish out of sight.

On the pathway, Annabeth glanced at Percy. He was watching the mechanics of the carriage and horse connection intensely. She reached toward him, holding out the reins. "Would you like to try?" Percy nodded, taking the ropes from her. He gave them a quick snap, causing Blackjack to speed up.

The sudden jolt flung Annabeth back. "Woah there- take it easy." She stretched out in the seat. "There's no rush to get back to the palace, you know." Percy agreed by leaning back with her. They grew silent and soaked in the moment. The sun was setting, and nature was planning its music for the night.

* * *

 **I sort of had writer's block for the Hedge and Mellie part, but hopefully it turned out good. I think my problem was that I had trouble putting down what I had pictured in my head… Writer's struggles.**

 **Also, Rick never described what Lou Ellen and Cecil look like in the books and I'm slightly upset after searching Riordan Wiki for clear descriptions. So I hope you all enjoyed using your imagination ;)**

 **I will give imaginary high fives to anyone who caught on to the "We were talking about something regarding our ships," line Will had at the beginning of the chapter. Bonus points if you laughed XD (At least… I thought it was funny. Because it's true.)**

 **Get ready for this next chapter- I'm super excited for it! Review, Follow, and Favorite.**

 **~Reader4ever1**


	15. Chapter 15

**It took me several drafts to get this chapter right :'0 I really hope you guys like it- my fingers are crossed.**

 **Now, time for one of the most iconic scenes from the Little Mermaid. No pressure on the author or anything, it's fine. Hahaha ":D I'm not sweating it.**

 **Also, this is another long chapter. You're welcome.**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 15

Leo gave an exasperated grunt as he trudged along the beach with Will and Hazel. The boy tried to ignore the afternoon sun beating down on his head. "How much farther is this spot?"

"Not too much farther," Will said.

"You told me that half an hour ago."

"I mean it this time."

"Uh-huh. I'll believe you when I see it."

"Just don't grow so incredibly tired that you drop that box."

Leo looked down at the cube full of instruments. It contained Will's flute, a lyre for Calypso, and a hand drum and lute, likely to be played by Hazel and Piper in that order.

He glanced at the picnic basket Hazel was carrying. It had been hours since he'd eaten anything. What he'd give to have a bite of a sandwich…

Will abruptly stopped. Leo and Hazel stood behind his shoulders, taking in tired breaths. He looked up from his map.

They were standing alone on the beach not too far from the cliffs of the palace. Giant willow trees dotted the coastline. A small dock jutted from the sand into the water. A single vessel was tied to it: a small wooden rowboat with enough room to fit about four people. (Though Leo was skeptical and thought it would sink if he alone tried to sit in it.)

The medic rolled up his paper. "This is the spot."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Do you just happen to know about random docks by romantic trees? Or is this a thing that _no one_ told me about?"

"I found this a while back when I went into the village with Annabeth. We were riding down a path that comes back this way. I think it used to be a popular fishing spot. There are more docks if you keep walking down the beach, but this one should do."

"How do you know we'll be close enough to Annabeth?" Hazel asked. "I mean, I trust you, Will, but don't you think you're relying too much on luck?"

Will crossed his arms in a proud manner. "She told me she'd be here after dinner last night. I believe it was along the lines of 'I'm sure he'll like seeing the coastline- the willow trees are so pretty this time of year.'"

"But what if she sees us?"

"I'm confident we can make sure that doesn't happen- with a little help from our friends." Will looked at Leo. "Would you mind?"

Leo put his box down on the wooden dock. He took a screwdriver out of his toolbelt and threw it into the ocean.

Hazel shot him a questioning look. "How is that-?"

"Just hold on."

As if on cue, Calypso's head surfaced from the waves. The other four merpeople quickly followed her actions. They made a line for the dock like moths drawn to a flame.

Calypso threw the screwdriver back at Leo. "Try not to aim so close to my head next time."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, putting the tool back in his belt. "I forgot to look under the water before I threw it in so that I knew _EXACTLY_ where you were swimming!"

"Shh!" Hazel tapped his shoulder. "Don't attract attention." She looked at the merpeople. "Thank you for your help."

"No," Frank shook his head. "It's you guys we need to thank. We wouldn't be able to do anything if you didn't offer up the assistance."

"Assistance?" Leo sat down and started taking the instruments out of the box. "You mean like… Will playing the flute?"

Calypso rolled her eyes. "He means telling us about the area and being able to use legs."

"Oh. I knew that."

Will sat down next to him and opened up the picnic basket. "Let's just eat some food." He turned to the merpeople. "Have you ever eaten a sandwich before?"

They had fifteen minutes of sandwich eating lessons before they could properly settle down and enjoy the calm before the storm.

"How's the food?" Hazel leaned over and asked Frank.

The merman was sitting next to her on the edge of the deck. He and the rest of the merpeople had gotten out of the water and were sitting with the humans on the wood planks. Frank had finished his sandwich and was eating a red delicious apple.

He grinned at Hazel. "It's so amazing. There are too many flavors to think about. I like the food here much better than the food at the palace."

"Really?" Hazel raised an eyebrow, growing curious. "Underwater Palace food isn't as good as this?"

"Well, we do eat different things, so I guess it _would_ be strange to eat human food…" He stared at his apple. "You would probably feel the same way about eating the stuff they make in Atlantica."

The girl gave him a smile and shook her head in an almost knowing manner. "I would never be able to do it. Believe it or not, I get terrible seasickness. The motion of the waves out there… It's enough to tilt a boat. _Any_ boat. And when boats sway on the water… I suddenly can't feel my stomach."

"Gods, that sounds awful."

"Yeah… the ocean and I aren't exactly best friends."

"Oh…" Frank nodded his head in understanding, but couldn't help asking a question. "That doesn't include us, does it?"

Hazel laughed and playfully punched his shoulder. "No. Of course it doesn't. I like you guys."

Frank couldn't help but admire how her banana colored dress matched her eyes. It was probably nice to be able to change your wardrobe every day. He suddenly wished he could relate to Hazel on a human level. But he knew the chances of that ever happening were slim to none.

He simply returned her bright smile before a new noise intruded on their conversation.

Reyna and Piper came running down the path from the village, kicking pebbles and taking heavy breaths as they moved toward the sand.

"They're coming. Fast." Piper wiped sweat from her brow. "I don't know why she thought it was a good idea to let Percy control the carriage."

"PERCY IS-" Hazel elbowed Will in the stomach before he could yell anymore. "I mean… good for him. Letting him drive the carriage is _totally_ fine. It's not like it's priceless or irreplaceable or anything."

Nico gave a scoff from the side. "Go figure."

Jason suddenly became electric. "They're coming! You know what that means- places everyone. Calypso, stay here and grab an instrument. Frank, flag down Rachel and make sure she's ready." He pointed at himself. "Thalia and I can swim closer for a better look." He jumped into the water, containing excitement levels equivalent to all of his friends' combined.

"Um..." Reyna cleared her throat. "I believe that I would be of more assistance up in the trees. You know, being a bodyguard means-"

"Perfect!" Will cut her off and gestured for her to go with the merman. "You can be our human eyes over there. When Percy and Annabeth are situated, the others can bring us closer to make sure they can hear the music."

Reyna nodded before saying, "Just don't get caught." She hurried back to the beach, jogging down the sand to the willow tree.

Jason smiled at the others, enthusiasm radiating off him. "Let's go persuade our friends to fall in love with each other." He disappeared with Thalia, leaving Frank, Nico, and Calypso with Leo, Hazel, Will, and Piper.

Frank stayed still a moment as Calypso reached around Leo and grabbed the lyre. Then he muttered a quiet question. "How come _I_ have to find Rachel?"

* * *

Annabeth took the reins from Percy and brought the carriage to a halt. She had steered them to a picturesque backroad along the ocean. A long dock jutted into the ocean nearby. The sky was starting to turn a darker shade of blue, casting a relaxing color palette on the scene. Giant willow trees grew around the area, some even leaning over the water, their leaves tracing the surface like the hem of a ballgown sweeping a glossy marble floor.

Percy took a deep breath. He knew he had to make it to one of those trees. And if everything went according to plan, he would be able to speak by midnight.

He helped Annabeth out of the carriage. "After this, I'll take us back to the palace," she said to him. "I promise."

Percy waved his hand aside as if saying, _Nah, it's okay. Take your time._

Annabeth smiled. "Okay. I just thought you might like seeing the kingdom from this perspective. Small and quiet…" She gave Blackjack a pat and started walking toward the pier. "The area is beautiful this time of year. I hope you don't mind me showing off the land to you…"

They walked away from the carriage. Chiron crawled out from under a pile of bags as soon as Annabeth's voice grew faint. He hurried down the beach and quickly found Reyna sitting on a top branch of a willow tree.

He passed his pupils before going up the trunk. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes- we're in position."Jason grinned. "We just have to wait until they get a bit closer. Then I'll swim over to the others and give the signal to start."

Chiron nodded his head, but his eyes had doubt. "I know you kids want to help…" He gave a deep sigh. "But… are you sure there isn't a simpler way to do this?"

Jason waved a hand. "C' mon. When have romantic musical numbers failed to set the mood?" He took his teacher's stare as an 'I don't know'. Jason reached back down in the water. "One more thing." He pulled out Chiron's staff. "I brought this back from the cave. It was weird seeing you without it."

Chiron took it from him. "Thank you, Jason."

He continued his journey up to join Reyna in spying. "The others are okay?"

She flashed him a small smirk. "Yes. Separate, they worry me. But when they're together- that's when I know they won't blow things up."

"Pardon me?"

"Well, most of the time."

Chiron nodded, not wanting to get into details. They sat in silence for a minute before he spoke again. "You're the bodyguard, correct?" Reyna nodded. "Someone like you would fit in nicely in Atlantica. Do the other girls have training like you? Do you ever have to worry about their security as well?"

"Piper and Hazel?" Reyna thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I'm honestly not worried at all. Piper McLean and Hazel Levesque can take care of themselves. Trust me."

Chiron nearly choked on his own spit. "What?" Reyna raised an eyebrow at him. "What did you say?"

"Piper and Hazel can take care of themselves?"

"No- I mean yes, I'm sure they can if you're not worried about them. But… what is Hazel's last name?"

"Levesque. Why?"

"I- I've heard that name… somewhere before…" Chiron couldn't explain it. He knew that name. He was sure it wasn't a random coincidence that he would recognize it. But it was unlike him to forget important information. What was causing him to become so nervous?

Reyna looked down, thinking. "…I don't know much about her family, if that's what you mean. I know it was just her and her mom before she came to be a lady in waiting. She never knew her father." Reyna watched Chiron grow uneasy. Her last name obviously bothered him. "I don't know how much that helps. Maybe her mother has lost some things at sea with the family name on it. Perhaps that's why you recognize the name."

Chiron waved a claw at her. "It's fine. It's not appropriate to worry about it at the moment. We must focus on other things right now." He pointed up with his staff. Rachel was just passing over the scene. She landed in the cattail weeds where Grover had taken refuge.

The brown fish had made the journey around the coastline to watch the event unfold. He had a clear view of his best friend until Rachel joined him. He squirmed in the water. "Move your feathers- I can't see anything."

"Nothing is happening!" Rachel sighed into a frown. "Only one day left… and that girl hasn't puckered up once."

Grover rolled his eyes. "Did you find any animals to help?"

"Yes," was her only response.

He signed. "Are they _coming?_ " He asked the question as if she spoke another language.

"Yes! Geez, have some patience." She ruffled her wings. "Sometimes you think too hard."

The boat got closer to their hiding spot, but both humans failed to notice the animals. Annabeth was still speaking to Percy, taking full advantage of her opportunity alone with him. "It's hard sometimes. I have so many duties at the palace- keeping up with trade and finances and management. I like to get out in the village and make sure I'm making the right choices for my people. If I don't, I get sick of staying inside the castle…"

Her arms went slack for a moment, as if the weight of the world suddenly bore down on her shoulders. The rowing stopped. Her eyes drifted off to the horizon before quickly snapping back to Percy. Unable to speak, he gave an understanding smile.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm probably being annoying, constantly talking about my kingdom. It's time I properly get to know you. Do you live in a village like the one here?"

Percy grew nervous. Should he let her know?

In a quick motion, he waved his hand in a motion that said "kinda".

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… how do I do this?" She looked at him as if solving a riddle. "I guess yes-and-no-questions are the way to go. Do you come from higher status, then?"

Percy bit his lip, and she noticed. Annabeth grinned. "You do, don't you?" Percy bit his lip harder. She leaned back in her seat. "Okay… so you're of high status. You seem anxious about it though… Do you have pressures like me?"

Gods she was so smart- it made Percy's heart leap into his throat. He was glad he already couldn't speak. He just nodded his head in amazement.

"Then this must be as nice for you as it is for me." She looked up at the colorful sky. The last light from the sun made the clouds purple and the sky an aquamarine. "Peace and quiet is nice while it lasts, right?" She gave a small laugh.

In the cattails, Rachel quickly grew bored of watching the Princess ask Percy questions. "Okay… this looks like it's going nowhere."

Grover raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that-?"

"Alright!" Rachel jumped up and spread her wings out, ignoring the fish's comments. "This calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation."

"I thought you were going to do that with Jason-"

"Stand back and watch and learn," she stated, again ignoring his concerns. She flew up to a tree branch near the rowboat. She cleared her throat and began to hum random, croaky notes that made Grover cringe in the water.

Annabeth's question session died down as she steered past the tree. She winced. "Wow… nature is already trying to grace us with her songs. How perfect." She didn't hide the sarcasm.

Percy winced with her and risked a peek up at his friend. Rachel waved at him encouragingly with her right wing and continued making the awful noises. He facepalmed himself, embarrassed, yet grateful that Annabeth had no knowledge about his relation to the bird.

Over by the other willow tree, the group of teenagers groaned.

Reyna considered covering her ears. "Are we surrounded by amateurs?"

"Apparently," Thalia said, "she's decided to tackle the problem herself. Not the wisest move."

Jason shook his head. "I can't take this. You want something done right, you have to do it yourself." He cracked his fingers. "Time to set the mood." He dove under the water and headed back to the small dock, finding his friends testing out their instruments.

Jason grinned ear to ear. "Ready?"

Calypso plucked a few strings on the lyre. "As ready as we'll ever be."

The blonde merman took a deep breath. "Okay then… we start slow. Percussion." Hazel got comfortable with the hand drum in her lap and started a beat. Jason nodded his head. "Good. Strings." Calypso started strumming the lyre, Piper the lute. "Winds." Will began playing his flute.

Jason smiled again. "Words." He turned to face the rowboat down the shore. "There you see him, sitting there across the way." He started out with a soft, quiet tone. He wanted to be cautious- if they were immediately spotted by Annabeth, it would all be over. But if the two humans noticed the music, they didn't show it. He could see Annabeth hand Percy the paddles, giving him a turn to steer the boat. Percy turned the pair toward the tree Reyna and Chiron were in.

Everything was moving along smoothly. For now, at least. They still had time to mess it up.

The merman continued singing, pushing his doubts aside. "He don't have a lot to say, but there's something about him." Percy continued rowing the boat toward his friends. The moon had appeared in the ever-darkening sky, casting a relaxing light on the ocean. He could barely make out the others at the other dock. "And you don't know why, but you're dying to try- you wanna kiss the boy."

Annabeth suddenly straightened in her seat. "Did you hear something?" Percy tried for a nonchalant shrug, but she still looked around them. Her back was conveniently facing the music makers. "Hmm…" She turned back to Percy after failing to spot the source of the soft music. "I guess there are people around here enjoying the evening. Just like us." She gave him a content smile.

"Yes," Jason continued to sing.

"You want him," Piper joined in. "Look at him you know you do."

Percy smiled back at Annabeth.

"It's possible he wants you too," Jason sang solo again. "There is one way to ask him."

Something swelled in Annabeth's chest. It was as if lightning bugs were bouncing off the inside of her rib cage. She suddenly became aware of how close she was to her new friend. She leaned back in the boat and tried to keep a casual smile. They would have to go back to the palace soon. She couldn't let go of her responsibilities.

But the feeling in her chest didn't go away.

"It don't take a word- not a single word. Go on and kiss the boy." Jason spotted a flock of white birds flying overhead. They landed in the willow tree Chiron was in.

He felt movement under the water. Dozens of aquatic animals were heading to the enclosure.

Rachel's reinforcements had arrived.

Jason turned back to his friends, elated. "Sing with me now."

Piper grinned at him, then followed his lead. "Sha-la-la-la-la-la-"

"My, oh, my," Calypso and Hazel joined them. "Looks like the girl's too shy- ain't gonna kiss the boy." The birds in the tree started chirping with their rhythm. "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad, ain't it a shame too bad…"

"She's gonna miss the boy," Jason finished by himself. He watched the boat inch toward the willow tree. He looked his friends in the eyes. "We need to get closer. I don't think it's good enough."

"You want us to get closer?" Piper drew her lips into a frown. "Won't Annabeth notice?"

"Not if we go slow. And if she gets caught up in the moment." Jason gestured to the wooden rowboat. He gave a reassuring smile. "Trust me."

Piper stared at his face. His confident demeanor was hard for her to doubt. If he was so sure of himself, she had no reason to question it.

She looked at her friends. "Let's do it."

Jason grinned. "Great- keep playing. We'll pull you over to the tree."

While the humans were climbing into the boat, Annabeth brought up a subject to Percy that was bothering her. One she hoped would distract her from rising feelings.

"You know I feel really bad not knowing your name." Percy grew excited at the comment. Annabeth rubbed the back of her neck. "I keep meaning to give you some parchment and ink for you to write it down on, but it always slips my mind." She put her left elbow on the side of the boat and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't have any with me… maybe I could guess."

She looked at Percy's face. "Is it… Matthew?" He shook his head. "Okay… how about… Thomas?" He shook his head again. "Peter?" Percy laughed but continued to shake his head.

Up in the tree, Reyna gave a frustrated sigh. She'd been listening to their conversation with Chiron. It was easier to hear them with the boat getting closer and closer. "This is going to take forever," Reyna stated. "She's never going to guess Percy."

"Agreed." Chiron started climbing down the tree. "Perhaps I can do something about that…"

He crawled to the water and slipped under the ocean. He quickly reached the boat and climbed up the side of it. Annabeth was still guessing names. She was looking up at the night sky, rubbing her chin with her hand.

Chiron held up a claw and spoke softly to the Princess. "Percy- his name is Percy."

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows and looked around, confused. "Percy…?" She had repeated the name as a question to herself, but the boy in front of her lit up.

He nodded his head and grabbed her hand, a motion that didn't need words to speak. _Yes. That's it._

"Percy?" She tightened her fingers around his. His hand was warm and soft, as if it had spent years being molded under the ocean. He nodded again. "Really…" She straightened up, still in disbelief. "Well then. It's a pleasure to meet you, Percy." She wrapped her other hand around his and shook his hand. "I'm Annabeth," she added in a joking manner. Percy laughed with her and squeezed her hand.

Chiron swam back to the tree and climbed to his spot next to Reyna. "Now… let's see if this works." He noticed the other animals in position, ready to help them.

Two white storks had been standing beside the leaves of the willow tree, waiting to do the task Rachel had asked of them. They grabbed the flexible branches in their beaks and pulled them aside, allowing the boat to pass into the enclosure without any hazards.

Jason watched the movement and picked up the singing again. "Now's your moment…"

"La-la-la…" Piper quietly sang with him.

"Floating in a blue lagoon."

"La-la-la…"

The boat passed completely under the leaves. The storks closed the gap."Girl you better do it soon, no time will be better."

Calypso joined Piper in her soft singing. "La-la-la-la-la-la."

"He don't say a word, and he won't say a word until you kiss the boy."

Under the water of the willow tree, Thalia motioned for the fish and turtles to swim closer to the boat. She moved around with them in a circle, creating a current around the vessel, slowly rotating it in the middle of the enclosed space.

Frank, Nico, and Jason had finished their task of pulling the boat up to the tree leaves. Calypso floated in the water next to them, continuing to make music with the lyre. Nico pointed down at the water, silently telling them that he was leaving to join Thalia in keeping the current steady. Before he disappeared under the water, he caught a glimpse of Will Solace playing his flute. He smiled at him from behind the instrument.

Nico tried to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach as he joined his friend underwater.

Hazel elbowed Leo and looked down at Frank. She was grateful that they weren't far enough in the water to cause her seasickness. She could barely feel the calm waves so close to the shore. "C' mon, guys," she said quietly. "Join us."

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la," she sang with Jason and Piper. "Don't be scared, you've got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the boy."

"Woah-Woah," Leo started singing along with Calypso. The mermaid smiled up at him from the water.

Inside the leaves, fireflies lit up the atmosphere. They circled the boat in the air like the fish in the water.

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la," Frank joined the others, "Don't stop now, don't try to hide it how you wanna kiss the boy."

"Woah-Woah." Leo kept singing with Calypso.

Grover swam into the enclosure with Rachel in the air above him. He grinned at the colorful sight and dove under the water, searching for room to pop up closer to his best friend. Rachel flew over to a group of flamingos standing by the tree, swaying and humming along to the music.

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along and listen to the song-" Rachel started humming louder but was quickly quieted by the pink birds. "-The song says 'kiss the boy'."

"Woah, Woah!"

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la." Grover found his chance and jumped out of the water. He sprayed the liquid into the air with several other fish, creating a fountain around the boat. "Music play- do what the music say…"

Jason glanced over at Piper. She was smiling down at the lute in her hands. Her gaze flicked to the side and locked with his stare. Her eyes seemed to have changed color with the evening sky. He'd never seen anything like it, and for a brief moment, he forgot the concept of time.

He silently thanked her for trusting him. "You gotta kiss the boy." The two of them finished singing together.

Annabeth and Percy were mesmerized by the space around them. The setting was illuminated by faint rays of moonlight and warm yellow glows from fireflies. The air smelled like ocean spray, wet sand, and grass. In all her years of living in the area, Annabeth had never seen anything like it. She felt like every piece of magic from every story she'd ever read was vibrant and alive right in front of her.

She looked across at Percy, though he wasn't very far away. And he looked back at her. Annabeth could see countless emotions behind his eyes. She wanted to know what they were.

The music slowed down. The animals softened their melodies. The current continued to gently rotate the boat around and around.

She squeezed his hands. They hadn't let go of each other since she figured out his name. She couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the feeling in her chest that hadn't left. Or the kindness in his features. Or, the more likely answer, both.

Thalia and Nico left the circle of fish and surfaced by the base of the tree. Grover and Rachel joined them, not taking their eyes off the couple for a second.

"Kiss the boy…" The others sang softly. The music matched the chirping of the birds in the trees. Frank and Jason pushed the boat up against the leaves so that they could peek through without being noticed.

Annabeth found herself close to Percy again. She didn't lean away this time. Something new was flowing through her. "Kiss the boy…" And she didn't want it to go away.

Percy's heart was racing. His troubles had left his mind. He wasn't a prince, and she wasn't a princess. They were just two teenagers out enjoying a beautiful evening. All he could comprehend was the girl in front of him, and how incredibly close she was. He felt his eyelids grow heavy.

Up in the tree, Chiron and Reyna leaned over their branch to peek down. Percy and Annabeth were so close.

"Kiss the boy…" The others continued to quietly sing. The humans were leaning on the edge of their boat, anxiously watching their friends.

Almost there.

Annabeth leaned toward Percy, her eyes cautiously closing. She had to ignore the part of her brain telling her to stop and think. Her conscience was growing fuzzy.

Jason grew tense with anticipation. He grabbed Frank's shoulders and gave them a shake. "Go on and kiss the boy…"

Percy stared at Annabeth's lipstick a moment longer before closing his eyes. Annabeth followed his lead. It was okay to let go. To live in the moment. Just for a little bit- she could let go…

She leaned in and felt his breath mix with hers.

Then the world was pulled out from under their feet.

Annabeth let out a yelp that was quickly cut off by the splash she and Percy made falling into the water. Their rowboat completely capsized in the water, tossing them out into the ocean like a fisherman casting his net.

The other teenagers abruptly stopped their music. They stared at the now upside-down boat, completely flabbergasted. Up in the tree, Chiron face palmed himself.

Nico was the first to recover. He spotted the others a few feet away and propelled toward the boat. "Go- or they'll notice us!"

He pushed on the boat as Jason and Frank gathered the ropes and pulled the humans away. Thalia and Grover dove under the water and followed them. The other aquatic life swam away from the vessels. Reyna stayed hidden in the tree with Chiron. Rachel joined the birds flying away from the scene.

Annabeth burst out of the water with Percy. "Woah!" He flailed his arms around for a moment, completely confused. "Hang on!" Annabeth let out a nervous laugh as she pulled him up with her. "I gotcha."

They were waist-deep in the water. Annabeth gave another laugh as she looked at their situation. "Well- I don't know how that happened, but I guess it's our cue to start heading home." They held each other's hands for balance as they dragged their boat back to the dock they came from.

Reyna moved once they were out of sight. "Here," she held out her arm for Chiron. "Climb on- I'll get down and run back to the others."

Chiron did as she suggested. "Quickly," he spoke urgently on her shoulder. "We can't be spotted by them."

The water inside the enclosure was now completely vacant. The last sea creature had slipped down into the depths, laughing as his yellow eyes guided his way to the monstrous sea cave.

"Nice work, Kronos," Gaea spoke from the comfort of her seat. She watched the picture of Percy and Annabeth fade away in her bubble. "That was a close one," she scowled. "Too close!" She pounded her fist against the rim of her seat then yanked at her hair. "That little twerp."

She groaned and leaned over the front of the hanging chair with her two arms. "Gods, he's better than I thought." She growled and launched herself up in the water toward her cabinet. "At this rate," she opened the clamshell, "she'll be kissing him by sunset for sure." She pushed everything off one shelf to reach something in the back. The items fell to the floor with a crash.

Gaea pulled a large glass sphere out of the cabinet. Fluttering inside was a small orange butterfly. Something she'd been saving for her most dire situation. "Well," she stared at the insect. "It's time Gaea took matters into her own tentacles!"

She swam over to her cauldron and opened it up. She grabbed a bottle off the floor and threw it into the center, causing a small explosion to rupture from the pot. Gaea threw the butterfly in, causing tiny lightning bolts to jump around the cloudy mixture. A bright orange glow suddenly lit up the cavern.

"Poseidon's son will be _mine,_ " she said this with so much confidence it would have stopped a hundred armies from advancing on her. "And then I'll make him writhe." She grew the maddest of smiles on her face. "I'll see him wriggle like a worm on a hook!"

Kronos entered the cave and swam up to his master. "Are you ready, darling?" Gaea asked. The eel grinned, showing off his razor teeth.

Gaea took off her shell necklace and placed it around the creature. She raised her arms in the water and commanded the orange light to wrap around Kronos. Balls of light shot around him like fireflies. Gaea started to laugh, and he soon joined in with her. Nothing could stop her now.

The necklace glowed as Kronos' body began to change. He grew a pair of legs and a pair of arms. Blonde hair sprouted from his scalp. His features became young, but stayed scarred and mischievous. His laughter changed into the voice of a teenage boy.

He had become human. And he would make sure Annabeth Chase stayed away from Percy Jackson.

* * *

 **If you couldn't tell after reading this- this is the longest chapter so far! Yay! I'm actually not sure if any of the other chapters I have yet to write will be longer than this, but we'll see! There's still a major battle to be fought. But there aren't any more musical numbers… sadly :'(**

 **Unless you count Ursula humming on the beach in the original movie but I don't. Or if you count the last, like, minute-and-thirty seconds of the movie. My point is those make for long chapters, so it will definitely cut down on things.**

 **5 more chapters to go! Review, Favorite, and Follow, if you desire :)**

 **~Reader4ever1**


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